Legend of the 1000 Year Flower
by XFangHeartX
Summary: Summary inside. Read and review, and no flames or hate, please!
1. Prologue

One Piece: Legend of the 1000-Year Flower

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><p>One Piece © Oda<p>

Blizzard, Mel, and Mad Dog and the Mad Dog Pirates © Me

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><p>Summary- A little girl stows away on the Thousand Sunny. Her name is Mel, and she's on a mission to find a special flower to save her mother from a terminal sickness. Luffy offers his help, as does the rest of the crew, and soon, the Straw Hats are pulled into another adventure. However, with a greedy pirate, "Mad Dog" Jones also on the hunt for the flower, the crew will have to watch their step. (AN: Takes place two weeks before the Sabaody Arc)

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><p><strong>Prologue<strong>

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><p>It was a dark and stormy evening, not fit for man nor beast, especially for a crew of pirates sailing on the Grand Line.<p>

The pirate ship, called _The Sea Dog_ that was sailing on the rough waves was huge. The figurehead looked like that of a huge bulldog. The flag's symbol was a dog's head with two crossbones behind it.

On that ship, the crew was struggling to fight the storm, such as securing objects on the deck or keeping the ship steady.

"Captain Jones! I'm having trouble keeping her steady!" shouted the helmsman.

"Just hold on a bit longer!" the captain called back.

The captain was a man about 24 years of age. He had a thin, light brown beard across his chin. Tattooed on his left wrist was the symbol of his pirate flag. It was also tattooed on the right side of his neck.

He had a black shirt that had the word "BIG DOG" in bold, white letters, and a pair of blue slacks that were held up by a belt, which held a flintlock pistol on one hip and a cutlass on the other. Dangling from his shoulders was mahogany captain's coat which flowed like a cape in the harsh wing.

"Captain!"

Jones looked back to see a woman approach him.

She was a slender woman who appeared to be at the age of 22. She had long, flowing blonde hair, blue eyes, crimson lipstick, and tanned skin.

Her attire consisted of a white blouse, revealing a bit of cleavage. Behind her back, she carried a large staff. A halberd, to be more precise. She also were a short skirt and a pair of knee-high boots. Tied around her head was a maroon bandana.

"What is it, now, Fiona?" Jones questioned.

"The map and the Eternal Pose to our current destination is gone!" said Fiona.

"What?"

"Also…the prisoner has escaped. Apparently, Jackie got drunk and fell asleep on the job, again. She grabbed the keys to her handcuffs and ran out while he was still on the floor. I believe she might've stolen the map and the Eternal Pose."

Jones turned away from Fiona.

"Remind me to kill that idiot when this is over," he growled.

"Aye-aye, sir."

"Anyway, we need to find that brat. If she did happen to take that map and the Eternal Pose, we have to get them back…no matter what. That map is crucial to our survival. It leads to a very valuable treasure…the Thousand-Year Flower!"

Somewhere out at sea, away from _The Sea Dog_, a little girl was paddling away in a rowboat.

The little girl had navy blue hair and sea foam green eyes. She wore a light blue overall skirt and a pair of lavender sandals upon her feet. Lying nearby them was a rolled up map and an Eternal Pose with the name "Jucia" on it.

The little girl had on a determined face as she kept rowing.

_Hang on, Mom,_ she thought. _Just a bit longer._

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><p>I know I'm in the middle of the <strong>Sabaody Arc<strong>, right now, but I've had this in my head for a while and I just wanna see how it plays out. Sorry, guys.

Anyway, review, please!


	2. The Island of Dario

**Ch. 1- The Island of Dario**

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><p>One Piece © Oda<p>

Blizzard, Mel, "Mad Dog" Jones and the Mad Dog Pirates © Me

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><p>The island of Dario was a very lovely place. It was known for its great wine and beautiful vineyards. The food here was really good, too…<p>

Which gave a certain captain a reason to go to one of the local restaurants.

The Straw Hat Pirates had docked on this island about two days ago to restock on supplies and previsions, and were currently bringing barrels, crates, and other things onto the _Thousand Sunny_, where Brook stayed behind to keep watch.

Sanji was carrying a huge fish over his shoulder.

Roronoa Zoro was carrying three wine barrels at once.

Franky was bringing up barrels of cola.

Nico Robin was carrying some books to add to her collection.

Nami had just bought some ink and paper for her maps, as well as a few new clothes and shoes.

She couldn't help herself.

Usopp, Tony-Tony Chopper, Blizzard, and Monkey D. Luffy, were nowhere to be found on the ship.

"Where are those morons?" Nami questioned. "It's almost time to go, and they should be back by now!"

Speak of two devil, Usopp and Chopper (in Walk Point form), were seen turning a corner and approaching the ship.

"There you are!" Nami said. "What took you guys so long? And where are Luffy and Blizzard?"

"Luffy's still at the restaurant, eating," Usopp answered.

"Blizzard's still waiting for him to come out," Chopper added.

Nami groaned in frustration before she stomped off to find her idiot captain.

XXX

Monkey D. Luffy was sitting in one of the local restaurants, stuffing his face with meat, spaghetti, fish, apples, bread, and other foods. His stomach had bulged out from all the eating he had been doing, and most of customers in the restaurant had fled in disgust when they how big his appetite was.

Blizzard was currently sitting outside, waiting for Luffy to come out, and he had been waiting for almost an hour-and-a-half, now.

At that moment, Nami had arrived at the restaurant, and Blizzard immediately sensed some hostility coming from her, so he wisely kept his distance.

The navigator entered the restaurant, approaching Luffy from behind.

At that moment, Luffy stopped his gorging, suddenly losing his appetite, and swallowed whatever food was in his mouth. He nervously turned to see Nami's angry visage. He made an equally nervous smile and chuckled.

"H…hi, Nami," he greeted.

**BONK!** Nami bopped Luffy over the head.

"OUCH!" Luffy cried.

"Get up and go to the ship!" Nami barked. "We're LEAVING!"

"Okay," Luffy said as he stood up and headed for the door.

Nami turned to the restaurant owner and said, "I'm really sorry about this. He's got a big appetite. I'll pay for how much he ate." She pulled two gold Berry coins from her pocket. "Here."

"Uh, Nami? I think I might be stuck!"

Nami turned to see that Luffy was now trying to pull himself out through the doorway. He had gotten so fat from eating so much, he became wedged in the only way out.

"Oh, damn it, Luffy!" Nami cursed as she went to help her captain out.

She pushed at Luffy's back while Blizzard pulled on Luffy's arms.

XXX

"Come back here, you brat!"

"You won't get away from us, again!"

A little girl with navy blue hair and sea foam green eyes hid behind a building as a group of three pirates gave chase after her.

She had just gotten through escaping from their ship during that storm a couple of nights back, but they somehow managed to find her, again.

Their captain must be determined to get back what she stole from them.

She had to find someplace to hide from these thugs, but where?

Just then, she spotted a barrel nearby.

Perfect! The last place those idiots would look for her was in a barrel.

Wasting no time, the little girl ran up to the barrel, opened the lid (revealing it to half-filled with water), jumped in, and closed the lid over herself. She looked out the hole in barrel and saw the three pirates who were chasing her.

"Where'd she go?"

"I don't know!"

"Well, we gotta find her, or the cap'n will slice off our scalps for this!"

"Well, it's your fault! You were too busy drinking to notice she was right there behind the cotton candy stand!"

"Oh, shut the hell up, moron! C'mon! Let's keep looking!"

The three pirates walked away. The girl prepared to leave the barrel, but then she saw someone else approaching, so she decided to stay hidden.

XXX

Luffy (who had gone back to his normal figure), Nami, and Blizzard arrived back at the ship. There, Nami noticed that one barrel was left.

"Luffy take the barrel up to the ship," she said.

Luffy, not wanting to get another bump on the head, obliged to Nami's order and hoisted it under his arm.

"So, we got everything?" Luffy asked.

"Yep," Nami answered.

"Then let's set sail!" Luffy cheered as he set the barrel down.

As the Straw Hats prepared to sail off, Blizzard began to sniff the barrel that Luffy had brought. It had a peculiar scent to it, but he ultimately decided to shrug it off as nothing.

XXX

That night, everyone decided to have a party out on the deck since the stars were out.

Brook was playing a jaunty tune on his violin with Franky playing along on his violin.

"**A pirate's life is a wonderful life~!**

**A wonderful life for sure~!**

**Yo-ho-ho-ho-ho~!"**

Luffy, Usopp, Chopper, and Blizzard were clapping and barking to the beat of the music.

Nami and Robin were enjoying some drink, courtesy of Sanji.

Zoro, meanwhile, was heading over to the stock room to get a refill on his wine.

As he opened the door to the stock room, an odd sensation came over him. His eyes narrowed, and he had a hand on one of his swords.

"Whoever's in here," the swordsman began, "you picked the wrong ship to stow away on."

There was a pause.

Suddenly, the little girl that had been hiding in the barrel jumped out, armed with a knife, and charged at Zoro…

Who, without thinking, dashed at her, grabbed her by her throat, and roughly pinned her against the wall behind her. The result caused her to pass out, but Zoro was really taken by surprise.

"A…a little girl?"

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><p>Review, please!<p> 


	3. Meet Mel

**Ch. 2- Meet Mel**

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><p>One Piece © Oda<p>

Blizzard, Mel, "Mad Dog" Jones and the Mad Dog Pirates © Me

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><p>Zoro showed everyone the girl that he had accidentally knocked out. Needless to say, everyone was quite surprised that a child had stowed away on their ship, and even more surprised when they found out that Zoro had attacked her.<p>

"Only YOU would have the guts to hurt a little girl, Moss-head."

"For the hundred-millionth time, I keep telling you, SHE HAD A KNIFE!"

Everyone had gathered into the galley the next morning. The girl was in the sick bay, where Chopper was tending to her. Apparently, she also had a bit of a fever, which was why she was had been asleep since last night. As she slept, she kept murmuring about something in her sleep. Something about her mother.

As the crew ate breakfast, Chopper suddenly opened the door.

"How is she, Chopper?" asked Nami.

"She's coming around," the little doctor replied.

XXX

The little girl tossed and turned in the bed, beads of sweat falling from her brow.

"M…Mom…wait…M…Mom…! Do…don't go…! Please…!"

With a gasp, the little girl sat up in bed, wide awake, panting. She took a look around herself. She saw a medicine cabinet, a desk with a swivel chair, some ground medicinal herbs, pills, and various bottles.

"Hey. You okay?"

The little girl looked up and saw the Straw Hats. She gasped again, this time in horror. She began to back away into the corner, panting and sea foam green eyes wide.

"Whoa, whoa, hey!" Nami said. "It's okay, sweetheart! We're not gonna hurt you!"

"H-h-how do I know you're n-not lying?" the girl questioned, trying to sound fierce, but stammering. "You're pirates, aren't you?"

"Yes, we are," Nami said. "But I assure you, we're not like all those other pirates. We're actually really nice."

The girl seemed skeptical about Nami's words.

At that moment, Sanji came in with a tray of cut-up pancakes and a glass of tangerine juice.

"Here," he said. "You'll settle down once you've eaten something."

The little girl looked at Sanji in suspicion.

"Go on," said the cook. "It's not like it's poisoned or anything."

The girl sat down, giving Sanji an inquisitive look, before she took her fork, picked up a piece of pancake, and then took a bite. The moment she tasted it, she immediately began to eat as fast as she could.

Everyone smiled. At least this girl had an appetite on her.

Before everyone knew it, she was finished the food.

"Thank you," she said. "Who are you guys, anyway?"

"Oh, right," Nami said. "I guess it is time we introduced ourselves, huh? I'm Nami. I'm the ship's navigator." She pointed to Sanji. "The one who just gave you that delicious is Sanji."

Sanji bowed his head in a formal greeting.

Nami then turned to Robin.

"This is Robin."

"Nice to meet you," Robin greeted.

"I'm Chopper," Chopper greeted. "I'm the doctor!"

"The name's Usopp," Usopp said, "but you can call me 'The Great Captain Usopp'!"

"The guy who knocked you out is Zoro," Nami said, pointing to the green-haired swordsman. "Don't worry. He may look scary, but he's actually a big softie on the inside."

Zoro growled, but decided to ignore that remark.

"Pleasure to meet you, young miss," Brook said, politely. "I am Brook. 'Dead Bones' Brook! Yo-ho-ho-ho!"

The girl gasped at the sight of a talking skeleton.

"Don't worry," Nami said. "Brook may look scary, but he's a really nice guy!"

"I'm Franky," Franky greeted. "You're looking at the guy who built this SUPER ship!"

The girl giggled at the pose that Franky made.

Just then, Blizzard jumped up on the bed and gave her a big doggy kiss, making her giggle even more.

"That's Blizzard," Nami said. "He's our dog, and he's really sweet."

"And I'm Monkey D. Luffy," Luffy introduced himself with his usual grin, "and I'm the captain of this pirate ship!"

"So what about you, sweetheart?" Nami asked. "What's your name?"

The girl seemed hesitant to say anything, but now that everyone introduced themselves, she felt comfortable to introduce herself, too.

"I'm Melody," she said, "but back at home, everyone just calls me 'Mel'."

"Mel, huh?" Nami repeated. "Okay, Mel. It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you all, too," Mel said, feeling more confident.

"So what brings you here on our cozy little ship, hmm?" asked Nami.

Mel suddenly froze, but then turned away.

"You wanna be alone," Nami said. "We understand."

"You should rest for about an hour," Chopper said. "You've still got a bit of a temperature."

Mel laid back down in bed, and everyone soon left the sick bay to let Mel rest.

XXX

"Poor little thing," Nami said. "She must still be a bit scared. Can't blame her. She's probably lost."

"Where do you think she came from?" Luffy asked.

"She doesn't look like she's from Dario," Robin said. "She must be from a different island."

"Yeah," Franky said, "but which one?"

"She may not even live here in the Grand Line," added Brook.

"Hey, guys," Zoro chimed in. "When I knocked her out, I found these stashed in her clothes."

Zoro pulled two items from behind his back. They were revealed to be a map and an Eternal Pose.

"A map and an Eternal Pose?" Sanji questioned. "Where'd she get these from?"

"I'll take those," Nami said, taking the two objects from Zoro's hands and placing them on the table. "Hmm…Jucia, huh? This must be where she's from."

"It can't be," Robin said. "Jucia is one of the many islands in the Grand Line that has no known civilization. It's only inhabitants are animals."

Blizzard tilted his head in confusion.

Why would a little girl like Mel want to go an island with wild animals? She probably wouldn't stand a chance against them. It didn't make sense in the least.

"When Mel wakes up, again," Nami began, "we're going to have to talk to her."

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><p>Review, please!<p> 


	4. The 1000 Year Flower

**Ch. 3- The 1000 Year Flower**

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><p>One Piece © Oda<p>

Blizzard, Mel, "Mad Dog" Jones, and the Mad Dog Pirates © Me

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><p>After about an hour, Mel awoke and soon came out of the sick bay. As she did, she was soon greeted by the Straw Hats, who were all giving these strange looks.<p>

It made her nervous.

"Uh…hey, guys," Mel said. "Is something the matter?"

"Mel," Nami said. "Can we talk to you for a bit?"

"What about?"

Nami patted a spot next to her on the lounge, asking Mel to come and take a seat. The girl didn't object and climbed up.

"Now, Mel," Nami began, "do you care to explain about these?"

She pulled out the map and Eternal Pose that Mel had been.

Mel looked at Nami with worry. Now that these pirates had found her secret, what were they going to do with her?

Nami just gave her a reassuring smile and said, "Don't worry. If it's a secret, we'll keep it between us."

"You promise?" Mel questioned.

"We promise," Nami said. "Right, guys?"

A chorus of "That's right" was her reply.

"Okay," Mel said. "The truth is…I stole these things from a crew of pirates that I escaped from a few nights ago. Well, I actually stole them back because they stole them from me, first!"

"What would pirates want with you?" Usopp asked. "And what would they want with a map and an Eternal Pose?"

"Well…" Mel started, "have you guys ever heard of the 1000-Year Flower?"

"The 1000 Year Flower?" Sanji repeated. "Nope. Never heard of it."

"Why?" Robin asked. "What is it?"

"It's a really special flower," Mel said. "They say it's legendary because it only blooms once every thousand years, even after it's been picked up from the ground!"

"But what would pirates want with a flower?" Chopper asked.

"It's so rare, it's very valuable," Mel said. "It's worth more 87 million Berries."

Nami immediately had Berry signs in her eyes upon hearing that.

"So, why are you out looking for the flower, little girl?" Franky asked. "You trying to make a quick buck or something?"

"No," Mel said. "I'm not looking for the flower for me…I'm looking for it for my Mom."

Luffy's eyes widened.

"Your mother?" Nami repeated.

"Yeah," Mel said. "She's sick. She's been sick for months."

"Is it serious?" Chopper asked.

"Yeah," Mel answered. "The doctor back at home says she won't make it."

"That still doesn't explain why you're looking for a little plant," said a disgruntled Zoro.

"Zoro!" Nami spat. "Behave!"

"My Mom's a flower collector," Mel said. "She just loves flowers. Ones of all different kinds. She always told me, 'Mel, there's always this one special I've always wanted to see before the day I die.' I know she's talking about the 1000-Year Flower! She has to be! She's always looking at it in a book! I even tore a page so I know what it looks like!"

She dug into her dress pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. The picture one the paper was of a flower with five, snow white petals and a curvy stem with three leaves protruding from the sides.

"I know if I can get my Mom this flower," Mel began, "she can die, happy. That's all I really want for her."

At that point, Mel's eyes began to well up with tears.

"I know I don't want my Mom to die," she said, tearfully, "but at the very least, I want her dream to come true! That's all I want for my Mom!"

Everyone felt their hearts go out to Mel. Franky was almost bawling at this point.

"You poor little girl," Franky said. "Going out of your to help your good old mom, like that!"

"I feel as if my eyes may flood with tears," Brook said. "Although, I don't have eyes or tear ducts."

There was a pause, and the silence was only broken by Mel's soft sobs.

Then, out of the blue, Mel felt a gentle hand on her navy blue hair. She looked up to see Luffy, a grin on his face.

"Don't worry," said Luffy. "We'll help you."

"Luffy?" Nami questioned.

"Why not?" Luffy asked. "A flower that blooms every 1000 years? That sounds like it has 'adventure' written all over it!"

Zoro and Sanji, the latter of whom was lighting a cigarette, grinned.

"Here we go, again," Zoro said.

Blizzard approached Mel and began to lick her tears away.

"A chance like this doesn't come around everyday, you know!" Luffy said. "All right, everyone! We're gonna look for the 1000-Year Flower! Set course for Jucia!"

"Yeah~!"

Mel looked at the Straw Hats with wide, bright eyes. Luffy just turned to her and grinned.

This little girl that just found herself some very good people.

XXX

Meanwhile, somewhere not too far away from the _Thousand Sunny's_ location, the three pirates who had been after Mel earlier were kneeling before their captain.

"You failed to recapture the girl?"

"W-w-well, boss, you see-"

"Don't even try to make up an excuse, you fools! You KNOW, damn well that I am intolerant of failure! You know what happens when you fail me, don't you?"

The three men cowered as their captain pulled out a flintlock pistol.

"N-no, boss! Please!"

"Give us another chance!"

"We promise we'll get it right, next time!"

**KABANG-BANG-BANG!** The pistol was fired, hitting all three men at once.

**THUD!** The trio soon fell, dead as dirt.

"Fiona," said Jones as he stood from the shadows.

"Yes, Captain Jones?" said Fiona, currently taking a drag of her cigarette.

"Remind me never to let fools to do my job for me."

"Yes, captain."

Jones looked outside a porthole window.

"That girl certainly a clever little brat," he grumbled. "Still…we can't afford to let her find that flower, first! The moment we find her…we'll slit her pretty little throat open, as well as the throats of anyone who dares to get in our way. 'Mad Dog' Jones stands by it!"

With that, Jones let out a malevolent chuckle.

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><p>Review, please!<p> 


	5. Luffy and Mel

**Ch. 4- Luffy and Mel**

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><p>One Piece © Oda<p>

Blizzard, Mel, "Mad Dog" Jones, and the Mad Dog Pirates © Me

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><p>Later that night, on the <em>Thousand Sunny<em>, everyone was preparing to go to bed.

Nami was in the women's quarters with Mel, who had gotten a bath and a new change of clothes. The dress the half-pint was wearing was orange with white rings on the bottom, an outfit from the navigator's childhood.

Robin was taking watch tonight, so Nami told the child that she could sleep in her bed.

However, Mel didn't seem to be faring very well. She found it very difficult to fall asleep, even with Nami's company. Nami seemed to take notice of the 5-year-old's unease as she prepared to lay in her bed.

She couldn't blame the poor squirt for feeling this way. She was in an entirely different environment, and she possibly felt lonely and homesick. What's more, she probably missed her mother, as well.

"Mel?" Nami called.

Mel turned to Nami with an upset look in her sea foam green eyes.

"Listen, sweetie," said Nami. "I know it's hard, right now, especially in your current situation, but you'll see. You'll get used to things around here. I promise."

"I guess," Mel said.

"Goodnight," Nami said.

"Night," Mel said back.

With that, Nami turned out the lights and fell asleep.

Mel, on the other hand, still found it difficult to cast into slumber. She tossed and turned in Robin's bed, and hid her face in the pillow, but she just couldn't sleep.

She looked up at the clock.

It was midnight, already, and she hadn't been asleep since 8 o'clock.

Mel sighed in exasperation, though very quietly, so as not to wake Nami up.

She was more used to having someone in bed with her while she slept so that she could snuggle, like with her mother, but right now, she had to deal with just sleeping by herself.

XXX

The next morning, Nami awoke in a state of panic.

Mel wasn't in bed.

When she started to ask the rest of the crew if they had seen her, they all gave her the same answer: no.

The navigator ran into the men's quarters, the next place where she was going to look, but upon entering, she saw that there was no need to ask about the child in question.

There was Mel, curled up like a little kitten, sound asleep…right next to a snoring Luffy.

Nami was quite surprised. She didn't expect Mel to sneak out in the middle of the night and then curl up right next to Luffy. Everyone must've been half-asleep, so they must not have seen Mel lying beside the captain.

The sight was actually quite cute.

"Breakfast is ready~!"

Upon hearing Sanji's voice, Luffy immediately awoke.

"Breakfast?" he repeated before he jumped down from his bunk and prepared to run to the galley, but not before he stopped in front of Nami. "Morning, Nami!" he greeted before he gave her a quick peck on the cheek and then ran off to the galley with his chants of food.

Nami chuckled as she went to wake Mel up. She gently put her hand on the tot's shoulder and began to shake her.

"Hey, Mel," she called, softly. "Wake up, sweetie. It's breakfast time."

Mel stirred, propping herself up on her hands and turning to Nami with a sleepy face. Her hair was ruffled and somewhat frizzy, making the navigator laugh.

"Well, you slept good," Nami started, "judging by your bed head."

Mel grunted, slightly offended by the comment.

"C'mon," said Nami as she took Mel into her arms. "I'll take you to get your hair brushed. Then we can eat."

XXX

At breakfast, everything was lively, as usual. Luffy was continuously trying to mooch off of everyone's food, which only resulted in him getting yelled at and getting kicked in the head by Sanji. Nami was the only one who willingly gave him a few pieces of her bacon.

However, the thing that everyone found rather interesting was Mel sitting next to Luffy during the meal. She must've begun to take a liking to him. Of course, with a personality like his, who wouldn't?

Luffy didn't seem to pay it any mind, though.

After breakfast, everyone went about with their usual routines.

Luffy got bored, so he decided to go fishing.

Zoro was up in the gym, weight training.

Nami was at the helm, making sure that the ship was on course for Jucia. The needle on the Eternal Pose hadn't changed direction, so they were on the right track.

Robin was also at the stern, reading a book.

Usopp was down below deck with Franky, working on a project.

Sanji was washing the dishes.

Chopper was busy with his studies.

Blizzard was in the Aquarium Bar with Brook, who played a gentle tune on his violin.

Mel didn't think she had anything else to do, so she decided that she would go and see what Luffy was up to.

Luffy sat over the portside railing, fishing rod in hand, and eyes hooded in boredom. At that moment, Mel appeared.

"Hey, Luffy," Mel said.

"Oh, hey there, Mel," Luffy greeted her. "What's up?"

"Nothing," Mel said. "You fishing?"

"Yeah," Luffy answered, "but nothing's biting."

A slight pause.

"Can I sit with you?" Mel asked.

"Sure," Luffy replied.

Mel attempted to climb up on the railing, but she had some difficulty due to her size, so Luffy decided to help by picking her up by the back of her dress and gently setting her next to him.

"There," said Luffy. "That better?"

"Yeah," said Mel. "Thanks, Luffy."

Just then, a soft breeze blew, ruffling Mel's hair. The wind felt cool, and it made the little one make a calm smile.

"This feels nice," Mel said.

"What does?" Luffy asked.

"The wind," Mel replied.

"Oh, yeah!" Luffy said. "It is nice, huh? This is what pirates like us really live for."

"I can see why," Mel said. "To feel the wind like this, smelling the salty air of the sea. Listening to sea gulls singing…to be honest, I wanna go out to sea when I get older, too."

"Is that so?" Luffy asked, intrigued.

"Yeah," Mel said.

Another pause came.

"Hey, Luffy," Mel said.

"Hmm?"

"Why did you agree to help me so quickly? You and your friends didn't have to, you know."

Luffy grinned and placed a hand on the child's head.

"I don't really need a reason why I wanna help you," he said. "That's not a problem, is it?"

"No," Mel said, "but…I was just curious, is all."

Luffy chuckled as he ruffled up Mel's hair.

"You're one funny kid!" he said. "I like you, Mel!"

Mel's eyes lit up and a smile creased her lips.

"I like you, too, Luffy," she said.

Nami, meanwhile, was watching her captain and the young girl with a smile on her face, as well.

"Hey, Robin," she said. "Mel's gotten quite fond of Luffy, hasn't she?"

"I suppose so," Robin answered. "Same could be said for Luffy about Mel."

Nami giggled.

"Yeah," she said. "I think it's cute that she wants to hang around with Luffy. She's like a little kitten."

All of a sudden, Zoro's voice could be heard on the intercom.

"**Hey! I see a ship coming from behind! It looks like a pirate ship!"**

Everyone gathered at the aft and saw a ship starting to come into view.

Usopp pulled his goggles over his eyes. It was indeed a pirate ship, for he saw a dog's head with crossbones behind it.

"Yep," Usopp said. "That's a pirate ship, all right. What do you suppose they want?"

"You think they're after our bounty?" Chopper asked, worriedly.

"Well, if it's a fight they want," Luffy began, pounding his fist into his palm, "then we'll gladly give them one."

"Don't be hasty," Nami said. "Maybe they're just passing through."

"I'm not entirely sure," Brook said. "I have a bad feeling about this. I can feel it in my bones."

Mel, meanwhile, had a sudden sense of dread. Her eyes were wide as saucers and sweat began to trickle down her brow. She began to back away, but she tripped on nothing and fell on her bottom.

"What's wrong, Mel?" Nami asked.

"T-that ship," Mel stammered. "I know it…! That ship belongs to the pirates that I escaped from!"

Everyone gasped. Luffy and Nami glanced at each other, then at Mel, then back at each other, and then at the encroaching pirate ship.

XXX

On the _Sea Dog_, Jones spotted the _Thousand Sunny_. He instantly recognized the flag as the mark of the Straw Hat Pirates. Not just that, but one of his men had spotted Mel via a spyglass.

"Well, well," said Jones. "Today must be my lucky day. Fiona!"

Fiona appeared beside Jones, quick as a wink.

"Yes, sir," she said.

"Prepare the men for battle," said Jones. "And Fiona…you can take whoever you want…but 'Straw Hat' Luffy is mine."

* * *

><p>Review, please!<p> 


	6. Mad Dogs Attack

**Ch. 5- Mad Dogs Attack**

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><p>One Piece © Oda<p>

Blizzard, Mel, "Mad Dog" Jones and the Mad Dog Pirates © Me

* * *

><p>The Mad Dog Pirates' ship was closing in, and the Straw Hats were prepared to fight. Well, most of them were. Usopp was too busy shaking in his boots.<p>

"Usopp," Luffy said. "Take Mel down below deck."

"R-right!" Usopp said.

_Thank you!_ the sniper thought, gratefully, as he took Mel into his arms and headed down below deck to hide her.

The timing seemed good, for the _Sea Dog_ had finally caught up with the _Thousand Sunny_. Once it did, Jones appeared on the starboard side bow, along with Fiona and about ten or twenty of his men.

"The Straw Hat Pirates, I assume?" Jones questioned.

"Yeah, so what?" Zoro answered.

"Which one of you is 'Straw Hat' Luffy?" Jones asked.

Luffy stepped forward.

"I am," he said.

"So," Jones started, "you're the 300 million Berry man, hmm?"

Fiona leaned on the railing.

"You know, captain," she said. "When I get a second look at him, he's kind of cute."

Nami narrowed her eyes and seethed at the woman, but Luffy glanced at her, telling her to keep her cool, which she did.

"Watch yourself, Fiona," Jones said before he looked back to the Straw Hats. "Alright, where is she?"

"'She' who?" Chopper asked, trying to act brave.

"Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about!" Jones said. "Where's that little girl? One of my men saw her on your ship!"

"We don't know what you're talking about," Robin said.

"Yeah!" Franky added. "We haven't seen any little girl!"

"Don't you lie to me!" Jones said. "I know you have her on this boat, and if you won't tell me, then I guess I'll have to tear it apart, board-by-board. Men! Attack!"

With a roar, the Mad Dog Pirates jumped aboard the _Sunny_.

Luffy pounded a fist into his palm with a toothy grin.

Zoro tied his bandana around his forehead.

Nami armed herself with her Perfect Clima-Tact.

Sanji took a drag of his cigarette.

Chopper pulled out a Rumble Ball from his pocket.

Robin crossed her arms.

Franky removed his skin glove from his hand.

Blizzard licked his chops.

Brook unsheathed his sword.

Now, all they had to was wait for the order.

"Let's go!" Luffy shouted.

"Right!"

With that, Luffy and the rest of the Straw Hats jumped into battle as the Mad Dog Pirates leaped onto their ship, armed with sabers, pistols, axes, and other weapons.

Zoro charged forward at 15 of the Mad Dog Pirates.

"Oni GIRI!"

**SLISH! SLASH!** Zoro slashed his foes, causing blood to spray from the gashes that had formed.

A huge, muscular man with an axe attempted to attack the swordsman from behind, but Zoro turned and blocked it with _Shuusui_.

"You should know better than to attack from behind," Zoro growled through _Wado Ichimonji_.

The man with axe gasped before…

**SLASH!** Zoro cut him in the side, causing him to fall.

"Damn," he cursed. "These guys are just too easy."

Nami was busy being faced by Fiona. Truth be told, the navigator was scared out of her mind, especially when she saw that halberd that the woman was wielding.

"So, you're 'Cat Burglar' Nami, eh?" Fiona questioned.

"Yeah, so what?" Nami replied.

"I never thought I'd see a girl like you on some smiley-faced boy's ship," said Fiona. "So, you're what? Straw Hat's bitch?"

Nami gasped before she growled.

"Oh, now you've done it!" she hissed venomously before…

**CLANG!** She struck her Perfect Clima-Tact against Fiona's halberd.

"FLANCHET! LONGE! POITRINE! MUTTON!" Sanji shouted as he kicked the designated body parts of his foes.

Chopper chomped on his Rumble Ball before he shifted into Horn Point. He charged forward, enlarged antlers pointed forward.

"Roseo COLLONADE!" he shouted before he scooped the pirates, one-by-one, like a shovel before he tossed his load overboard. He then shifted into Arm Point and punched another brute right in the jaw. "Hoofprint ROSEO!"

"TWIST!" Robin shouted.

**KRRAAK!** She snapped the spines of 10 of her foes using her arms.

"Strong RIGHT!" cried Franky as he shot his right fist forward, hitting at least 7 of Jones' men.

Blizzard charged forward, making the sound of a gunshot as he did, with mouth agape and fangs bared.

_Bullet FANG!_ the wolf-dog yelled in thought as he ran passed his opponents, clicking his jaws closed.

**SPLURT!** Blood came spraying out of the open wounds of the pirates.

"Gavotte BOND AVANT!" Brook shouted as he propelled himself forward, striking any foe in his way.

Luffy, meanwhile, was having no problems at all.

Several of the pirates fired bullets from their pistols at him, but all that did was causing them to be repelled back at them.

"That's not gonna work on me!" Luffy exclaimed before he stretched out his leg. "Gum-Gum…WHIP!"

**THWACK!** Luffy made a roundhouse kick to the men that were firing at him, and the result forced them all overboard. He made his usually cocky smirk, but then dropped it when he felt a shadow hanging over him. Instinctively, he turned around, and just in time.

Jones had drawn his saber and was preparing to slash Luffy to ribbons, but Luffy caught the blade in his hands. Unfortunately, the result had caused his palms to get cut. He grunted slightly in pain, but he stood his ground.

XXX

Down below deck, in the Usopp Factory, Usopp and Mel were sitting on one of the crates.

"We should be safe down here," said Usopp.

"But I don't understand," Mel said. "Why aren't you up there fighting with Luffy and the others, Usopp?"

"Uh…" Usopp mumbled. "Well, err…it's because I have to keep an eye on you, that's why!"

"But Luffy just told you to hide me," said Mel. "He didn't say you had to watch me, too."

Usopp heaved an exasperated sigh.

"You're killing me, kid," he whispered.

Suddenly, the two heard something outside. Usopp got up from his place and went to investigate. Upon looking out the portside window, he saw that it was one of Jones' men, armed with a rifle, approaching the door!

The sniper gasped, biting his nails, before he turned to Mel.

"Mel, quick!" he said. "Get down!"

Mel nodded before she jumped down behind the crate she was sitting on while Usopp glued himself to the right side of the door, just as the pirate opened it.

The pirate gave the room a bit of a once-over. As he did, he was completely unaware that Usopp was creeping up behind him, armed with a mallet.

"Usopp HAMMER!"

**KONK!** Usopp slammed the hammer right in the back of the pirate's skull, knocking him out and causing a huge bump to form.

Mel happened to be watching from her hiding place, and jumped out cheering.

"All right, Usopp~! Way to go~! WHOO-HOO~!"

Usopp gave a bit of a sheepish grin and scratched at the back of his head.

"He was a bit of a pushover," he said.

XXX

Back up on deck, Luffy found himself having a bit of trouble avoiding the slashes from Jones' saber. He already got cut in his right side, his left shoulder, and almost got skewered in the head if he hadn't ducked in time, but he still held his own.

"So this is supposed to the power of the 300 million man?" Jones questioned. "What a joke!"

"If this were a joke," Luffy began, "then I'd be laughing, too, wouldn't I?"

Then, **BAM!** Luffy laid a hard sucker punch to Jones' chin, catching him off guard before he stretched his arm back.

"Gum-Gum…BULLET!"

**POW!** Luffy landed a dead-center punch in Jones' stomach, forcing him back. He wasn't done there. He stretched his head back as far as it could go.

"Gum-Gum…BELL!"

**BONG!** Luffy's forehead collided with Jones' skull, making him stagger back, even further, almost to the point where he was about to fall over the rail. However, Luffy wasn't done, just yet.

He stretched his arms back behind himself.

"And a Gum-Gum…BAZOOKA!"

**BAP!** Luffy pushed his fists into Jones' stomach with so much force, he knocked the wind right out of him and forced him over the rail.

**SPLASH!** Jones landed in the ocean.

Fiona gasped, pausing in her standstill with Nami, looked over to where Jones had fallen.

"Captain Jones!" she cried as she went to go help her captain.

"No, wait, Miss Fiona!" one pirate shouted. "You can't swim, remember? You ate a Devil Fruit!"

Nami gasped silently.

"Well, so did Captain Jones!" Fiona barked. "If you know that, you moron, then YOU go save him!"

"Y-yes, ma'am!"

With that, the pirate dove into the sea to save Jones.

"And what are you idiots waiting for?" Fiona questioned as she turned to the rest of her crew. "Finish…" she trailed when she saw the most humiliating sight any pirate like her could ever see.

Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji were standing on top of a huge pile of pirates.

"Is this the best you've got, lady?" Zoro questioned. "Honestly, these guys are way too easy!"

"Yeah," Sanji added. "We haven't broken a sweat, yet!"

"I'm hungry," Luffy stated.

Zoro and Sanji stared at Luffy in disbelief.

"What?" Luffy asked. "Fighting always makes me hungry!"

"_Everything_ makes you hungry, Luffy," said Sanji.

Fiona slapped her palm against her face as she groaned in disbelief and outrage. How could these bumbling fools let themselves get defeated by a bunch of rookies, led by some two-bit boy?

"For god's sake," she grumbled. "Men! Retreat! Back to the ship!"

"Y-yes, ma'am!"

The Mad Dog Pirates ran back to the _Sea Dog_ in cowardly defeat, thus leaving the Straw Hats victorious.

"See ya!" Chopper shouted after the Mad Dog Pirates, waving his hoof.

**WOOF!** Blizzard barked after.

_Wouldn't wanna be ya!_ he thought.

"Come back anytime you want your asses kicked!" Luffy called.

"Franky!" Nami called. "We should probably get a good distance away from them!"

"Gotcha!" Franky said as he went to the helm.

Nami then turned to Luffy.

"Luffy," she said, "you make sure those guys don't follow us."

Luffy nodded in understanding.

XXX

At the _Sea Dog_, the pirates were now tending to their injuries. Jones had unconscious, but he was very much alive.

"Honestly," said a frustrated Fiona. "You fools are pathetic!"

"With all due respect, Miss Fiona, what did you expect?" asked one of the pirates.

"We hardly stood a chance against them from the beginning!" said another.

"After all, Captain Jones only has 98,000,000 Berries on his head," said another. "He didn't stand a chance against 'Straw Hat' Luffy, either!"

"Quit your useless whining!" Fiona snapped. "If Captain Jones heard you, right now, he'd kill you right where you stood! It actually won't matter, anyway. We failed to recapture that brat, the map, and the Eternal Pose. Captain Jones would send each and everyone of you to the slaughter."

"What about you, Miss Fiona?"

"I am the sole exception," Fiona replied. "Captain Jones would be lost without me."

All of sudden, the Mad Dog Pirates heard a noise from the distance. It started in soft, at first, but then it got louder and louder as whatever or whoever was making the noise drew closer.

"ROCKEEEEEEEEEET!"

**BAM!** Luffy suddenly came flying into one of the walls of the ship. He soon came out of the hole he made, dusting himself off.

"Whoops," he said. "I guess I overshot it, a little."

"You!" barked Fiona. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Oh, nothing," Luffy said. "Except this."

Out of the blue, Luffy wrapped his arms around the mizzenmast of the _Sea Dog_ and began to pry it off the deck with little to no effort, at all, much to the horror of the Mad Dog Pirates, sans Fiona, who only dropped her jaw in shock.

"But…how…?" she stammered.

"Gum-Gum…FLOWER ARRANGEMENT!"

**KRESH!** Luffy jammed the mast right into the middle of the ship, not enough to cause it go through, completely so that it would sink, but just enough to do quite a bit of damage.

"There," he said. "That should do it!"

"LUFFY!"

Luffy looked upon hearing Nami calling him and saw that the _Thousand Sunny_ was preparing for blast off.

"C'mon! Let's go!" Nami shouted from the aft.

"Right!" Luffy called back.

**WROING!** He stretched his arm over to Nami, who grabbed it and pulled him along. She remembered to duck once he came within about 4 feet.

Unfortunately, Zoro didn't. He happened to be standing behind Nami at the wrong time and ended up getting knocked over by Luffy.

"Damn it, Luffy!" Zoro cursed. "When the hell are you gonna stop that?"

"Stop what?" Luffy questioned.

"Yo!" Franky called. "Hang on SUPER tight, you guys! We're about to take off!"

The Straw Hats grabbed onto whatever they could, be it a railing, the mast, or the tree on the deck.

"Coup de BURST!"

**BLLOOOOWW!** The _Sunny_ took flight, and the Straw Hats made their getaway.

Fiona watched from the _Sea Dog_, angrily chewing on the butt of her cigarette.

Jones wasn't going to be happy about this.

XXX

Moments later, back on the _Sunny_, Mel had come out of her hiding place and was being given a once-over by Luffy.

"You okay, Mel?" Luffy asked the five-year-old.

"Yeah," answered Mel. "Are you okay?"

"We're fine," Luffy answered her. "A few scratches, but fine. Nothing Chopper can't fix."

Mel looked at Luffy's bandaged up palms before she looked down at her feet, feeling somewhat guilty.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"What for?" Nami asked.

"Well, if you guys hadn't have found me," Mel started, "then the Mad Dog Pirates wouldn't have found you and Luffy wouldn't have gotten hurt."

"Mel, like I said," Luffy told her. "It's just a few scratches. I'll be fine. We're just glad that you're okay."

"What's more," Nami said, "we'll be arriving at the island sooner than I said. The Coup de Burst that Franky set off sped up our traveling time. We should land in Jucia by tomorrow morning."

"Really?" Mel asked the navigator.

"You have my word," Nami said.

"Yay~!" Mel cheered before she started to jump all around in circles, chanting, "Yes-yes-yes-yes-yes-yes-yes!"

The Straw Hats couldn't help but laugh at the little scamp.

* * *

><p>Sorry that the fight scene wasn't very epic, everyone, but it will get better in later chapters.<p>

Review, please!


	7. The Real Reason

**Ch. 6- The Real Reason**

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><p>One Piece © Oda<p>

Blizzard, Mel, "Mad Dog" Jones and the Mad Dog Pirates © Me

* * *

><p>Warning: OOCness ahead.<p>

* * *

><p>Later that night, after dinner, the Straw Hats had gone to bed.<p>

Luffy had taken up watch tonight, and was up in the crow's nest with Mel, who, being the squirt that she was, had fallen asleep in his lap.

As Luffy gently combed his fingers through Mel's navy blue hair, the child's soft, steady breathing was all he could hear. He had to admit, she looked really cute this way, all peaceful and tranquil and curled up like a little kitten.

The only thing was he was starting to get hungry, and he couldn't move with Mel lying in his lap like this, and he had the grumbling stomach to prove it.

At that moment, Nami entered through the trap door in the floor. Not just that, but she had a plate of meat!

"Hey, Luffy," Nami greeted. "I figured you might be hungry, as always, so I brought you a snack."

"You're a lifesaver," Luffy said as he gratefully took the plate and happily chomped on the meat.

As Luffy ate, Nami turned her attention to the sleeping Mel in his lap. She smiled and brushed her fingers through the half-pint's hair.

"She's cute, isn't she?" the navigator asked.

"Who?" Luffy asked.

"Mel, stupid."

"Oh! Yeah, she is, huh? Like a little kitten."

"She's really taken a liking to you, Luffy. It's like she doesn't wanna be away from you."

"Yeah."

A pause came.

Nami looked outside the window, staring at the stars in the dark sky. Then she turned back to Luffy, who had already gotten to the fifth leg of meat on the plate.

"Luffy," Nami said.

Luffy turned to Nami in mid-bite.

"What?" he asked.

"I think know why you're really helping Mel," said Nami. "It's not just because you want to. Luffy…this is because of what happened between you and your mother…isn't it?"

Luffy froze, and then exhaled.

"Nami, can we not talk about that?" he asked the navigator.

"But it's the truth, isn't it?" Nami questioned. "You're doing this because you don't want Mel to go through what you had to when your mother died."

Luffy was silent.

"So what if I am?" he questioned, sounding a bit angry.

"Luffy," Nami started, "we've all something. Mel's going to experience some loss in her life, even if she's too young."

"Can we just not talk about it, at all?" Luffy asked. "Please?"

Nami heaved a sigh before she stood up and prepared to leave.

Once he was certain that she was gone, Luffy looked back down at Mel's sleeping form. He went back to gently brushing his hand through her hair, listening to her soft, steady breathing as she slept.

He couldn't say that Nami was wrong, though. He considered it unfair for a child like Mel to experience the loss of a loved one, just like he had.

"Mel," Luffy whispered. "I promise…I'll protect you, no matter what."

As if she really did hear his words in her sleep, Mel made a tiny smile and clutched Luffy's pants-leg tighter.

Luffy just smiled at her, and then leaned in and lightly and briefly pressed his lips against the slumbering little one's cheek.

"Yeah," he said. "I'll protect you, Mel."

XXX

The next morning, everyone was met with a rude awakening by Brook's wake-up song, in spite of the sun barely rising over the horizon.

He was soon silenced when Nami threw one of her boots at his afro.

Everyone slept for about 30 minutes more until the sun began to rise up, fully.

The moment the sun's rays hit Luffy's face, he let out a huge yawn and stretched his arms, drowsy tears forming in his eyes. As he absentmindedly scratched at his chest, he noticed that his legs were asleep. It was then that he remembered that Mel was still sleeping in his lap.

With a smile, Luffy put his hand on her shoulder and began to gently shake her awake.

"Hey, Mel," he called, softly. "Wake up. It's morning."

Mel squinted her eyes a bit before they fluttered open. She let out a yawn of her own before she greeted Luffy with tired, sea foam green eyes.

"Hey, Luffy," she said.

"You sleep okay?" Luffy asked.

"Yep," Mel answered. "Your lap makes a good pillow."

"Glad I could help," Luffy replied with a snicker and a grin.

Mel just smiled back at him.

Suddenly, she spotted them something out of the corner of her eye.

"What is it?" asked Luffy.

Mel didn't answer. Instead, she looked outside the open window. She gasped silently.

"Look, Luffy!" she said.

Luffy looked outside the window, as well.

XXX

In the women's quarters, Nami was getting dressed into her number purple 3 jersey and a pair of blue jeans shorts with fuzz around the bottoms of the pants legs, when suddenly, Luffy's voice could be heard on the intercom.

**"Hey! We're approaching an island!"**

At the sound of island, Nami and Robin headed outside to the helm, as well as the rest of the Straw Hats. The only ones who didn't end up there were Luffy and Mel, since they were still in the crow's nest, and the former couldn't really move because the latter was still sitting in his lap.

Mel wore a huge smile on her face, like the kind any kid would get on his or her birthday or on Christmas.

"This is it," said Mel. "We made it! We're here! The home of the 1000-Year Flower, Jucia!"

Luffy looked ahead at the island that the ship was approaching and made a smile of his own.

He could just smell the adventure from where he was sitting.

_Mom,_ Mel thought. _Just hang on, a bit longer! You'll see the 1000-Year Flower soon, I promise!_

* * *

><p>Review, please!<p> 


	8. Like You

**Ch. 7- "Like You"**

* * *

><p>One Piece © Oda<p>

Blizzard, Mel, "Mad Dog" Jones and the Mad Dog Pirates © Me

* * *

><p>After eating breakfast, the Straw Hats had gathered onto the deck, preparing to go ashore on Jucia.<p>

Upon getting there, they saw that the island had a huge, dense jungle, and in the very center of it all was a mountain.

Mel said that the 1000-Year Flower could be found growing within that mountain, so that's where they were going.

After Sanji had packed everyone a lunchbox, everybody was ready to go ashore.

Well, almost everybody.

"Uh…I just realized something! I have 'Can't-Go-Into-This-Suspicious-Looking-Jungle' Syndrome!"

"Gee. What a coincidence. I have 'You're-Going-If-I-Have-To-Drag-You-Kicking-And-Screaming' Syndrome. Now c'mon, you big baby!"

"NO! ZORO, PLEASE! YOU CAN'T MAKE ME~! AAAAAAAAAAHHH!"

"Does Usopp always act this dramatic, Nami?"

"You have no idea, Mel."

XXX

A few minutes later, the Straw Hats had now disembarked. Nami was leading the pack through the dense, humid jungle, holding the map in her hands.

The animals that inhabited the island looked intrigued at the arrival of the humans in their land, and while some stayed hidden behind the foliage out of caution, others were curious enough to come and take a look, such as a little monkey that Luffy had stopped to play "Monkey See, Monkey Do" with.

Along the way, Luffy noticed that Mel would often lag behind, so he made everyone stop and wait for her to catch up. No one blamed her, though. Since she was so young, she wasn't really strong or fast enough to keep pace with the grown-ups. Surprisingly, however, she didn't complain about her feet hurting or call for the Straw Hats to wait for her.

"Luffy," Zoro said. "I'm not stopping every 10 minutes just because you wanna wait for the kid. If she was gonna hold us back, we might as well have left her at the ship!"

"You gotta give her some credit, Bro Zoro," said Franky.

"Yeah," agreed Usopp. "At least she's not whining."

"Still," Nami said, "if Mel keeps holding us up like this, who knows how long it'll take before we reach the mountain?"

Luffy looked back at Mel, who had nearly caught up with the group, but tripped on a rock. The captain approached the half-pint and, without warning, scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the others, thus allowing them to press on.

"Uh, Luffy," Mel said. "I didn't ask you to carry me."

"I don't care," Luffy said. "You're holding us up."

Mel felt a guilt twinge in her stomach and looked away from Luffy.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "If only I were older, then I'd be able to keep with you guys."

"It's not your fault," Luffy said. "You're only five, right?"

Mel twiddled her thumbs as she settled herself in Luffy's scrawny and yet strong arms. She had to admit, she did feel a bit safe with him carrying her like this.

XXX

Later on, as the sun hit the center of the sky, the Straw Hats came upon their first obstacle in their trek: a gorge in the path.

There was no way around it, so their best bet was to jump over it, or at least try.

Blizzard and Chopper made it to the other side with no effort, at all, as did Brook. Franky also managed to get across. Robin, using her Cien Fleur Wing move, managed to fly herself over the gorge. Usopp jumped, as well, only to land on his nose. Sanji and Zoro jumped next, making it a challenge to see who could jump the farthest over the gorge. Nami jumped afterwards, and she almost didn't make it, but Robin lent a hand at the last second.

Now it was just Luffy and Mel.

"C'mon, you two!" Zoro called. "You can make it!"

Luffy looked down at Mel, who swallowed the lump in her throat and then looked up at him.

"Hold on tight," said Luffy earning a nod from the five-year-old.

**WROING!** Luffy stretched his right arm, which shocked and startled Mel, and grabbed onto a tree on the other side of the gorge.

"Gum-Gum…ROCKET!"

**WHOOOOSH!** Luffy and Mel went flying forward, straight towards the rest of the Straw Hats, who immediately ducked out of their way. Sadly, Zoro couldn't evade in time and was met with the full force of the blow, right in the gut.

**CRASH!** Luffy, Zoro, and Mel crashed into the ground.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!" laughed Luffy as he sat up. "I guess I overshot it, a little."

"A little…?" growled Zoro, who was now under his captain's rump.

"Uh…Luffy?" Mel muttered.

"Hmm?" Luffy hummed, questioningly.

"You're…you're arm."

"What about it?"

"It…it stretched…like rubber!"

"Huh? Oh, that! I know! That's 'cause I'm a rubber-man!"

"Rubber-man?"

"Yeah! See?"

**WROING!** Luffy hooked his finger into his cheek and pulled at it, stretching it out.

"Sorry about that, Mel," said Nami as she and the rest of the Straw Hats approached. "I guess we should've told you that Luffy ate a Devil Fruit."

"A Devil Fruit?" Mel repeated. "Like Jones and Fiona did?"

"Right," Nami said. "So did Chopper, Robin, and Brook."

"Hey, how did you know that Jones and Fiona ate Devil Fruits?" Usopp asked.

"Well, I heard that they did," Mel answered. "I don't really know what kind they ate, though."

"Well, that's fine," Luffy said as he stood up and dusted himself off, using his right arm to hold Mel. "But I would've liked to see them. I bet they'd be pretty cool."

_Are you outta your freaking mind?_ Blizzard questioned in thought.

"Another fight with those two is the last thing we need!" Nami remarked. "Let's just hurry up and get going! And Zoro, get up off the ground! Now's not the time for a nap!"

Zoro grumbled as an angry vein throbbed on his forehead.

XXX

The Straw Hats trekked on through the jungle as the day progressed. As they did, an eerie growling noise reverberated through the air.

"Luffy, shut your stomach up!" Nami barked.

"I can't help it!" Luffy argued. "I'm STARVING! Can we please stop to eat our Pirate Lunchboxes? I don't think I can go another step without food!"

Mel was riding bareback atop Blizzard since Luffy's arms were getting tired from carrying her.

"How are you holding up, Mel?" asked Chopper.

"Well, Blizzard's fur is a bit sweaty," said Mel, "but I'm okay."

_Speak for yourself,_ Blizzard thought. _My back's starting to ache! Luffy, I like this kid and everything, but when are you gonna get back to carrying her?_

"Please, Nami?" Luffy begged. "Can we please stop to eat? My tummy's SO empty!"

"Well," Nami began, "we have been walking for a while, and I admit, even I'm starting to get a little hungry. Why not? We'll stop and eat lunch here."

"Thank you!" Luffy said.

Everyone soon sat down, pulled off their backpacks, and prepared to eat their lunchboxes.

"Oh, boy!" Luffy said as he picked up his chopsticks and began to dig in.

As everyone ate their lunch, Blizzard's ears suddenly twitched. He stood up and looked ahead, now fully alert.

"What's the matter, Blizzard?" Luffy asked.

Blizzard didn't respond. He just stood there, ears and eyes forward. Then, he began to growl and snarl, a sliver or saliva escaping his maw.

"What's wrong with him?" Mel asked.

"He says, 'Something's coming this way!'" Chopper translated.

"S-something?" Usopp stuttered.

"Like what?" asked Nami, worryingly.

**Gulp!** Brook swallowed the lump in his bony throat.

"I have this odd feeling in my bones that we're about to find out!"

All of a sudden, something came running out of the dense foliage.

It was a deer, a full-grown doe, and she appeared to be panicked. She galloped right passed the Straw Hats, almost running Usopp over, like she didn't notice him.

Soon following after the doe came a regular stampede of animals: monkeys, deer, raccoon dogs, mice, birds, the lot!

"Quick!" Sanji shouted. "Get down!"

The Straw Hats ducked down to the ground with their hands (or paws and hooves, in Blizzard and Chopper's case) over their heads.

Luffy grabbed Mel and pinned her down, making sure to keep his other hand over his hat.

Once the stampede had subsided, everyone stood back up, dusting themselves off.

"Everybody okay?" Franky asked.

"Right as rain," Brook replied.

"I think one of those deer might've stomped on my arm," Usopp said.

"You okay, Nami?" Luffy asked the navigator as he helped her up.

"Yeah, I'm okay," said Nami. "A bit shaken, but okay."

"What about you, Mel?" Luffy asked.

"I'm fine," said Mel.

"Everything's okay on my end," Chopper said.

**WOOF!** Blizzard let out a bark, saying that he was all right, as well.

"I'm all right," Robin said.

"I'm good," Zoro called, popping his shoulder.

"Damn it," Sanji cursed. "I was really hoping you'd get stomped to death, Moss-head."

"Oh, ha-ha!" Zoro laughed, sarcastically. "That's so funny, I forgot how to laugh! I was hoping the same would happen to you, Dartboard-brow!"

"What?" Sanji questioned, angrily. "Listen, you bastard, I ought to-"

"AAAAAAAAAAAHH!"

Everybody turned upon hearing Luffy screaming.

"Straw Hat?" Franky called.

"What's wrong, Luffy?" Nami asked.

Luffy down on his knees, comical tears falling from his eyes, as he held the remains…of the trampled lunchboxes.

"The lunchboxes…!" the captain sobbed. "They're ruined~! I didn't even get to eat the meat, yet!"

**WHACK!** Nami and Sanji smacked Luffy across the head.

"YOU MORON!" they yelled.

Robin looked to the direction where the animals came from. Upon doing so, she saw a huge pair of glowing, lemon yellow eyes, glaring from the shadows.

"I don't think we're out of the woods, just yet," said Robin.

Everyone looked up when they heard the heard the loud footfalls made by huge paws…VERY huge paws.

Out of the shadows came a giant, white leopard with gray spots and a scar going down its left eye. The huge cat snarled as it looked down at its prey: the Straw Hats.

"DAAAAAAAAAHH~!" Usopp screamed.

"IT'S A GIANT LEOPARD~!" Chopper added.

"A MONSTER~!" Brook yelled.

"WOOOOOOOOW~!" Luffy cried with twinkling eyes. "IT'S SO HUUUUUUUUGE~!"

"Quick!" said Franky. "Everybody, scatter!"

The Straw Hats ran. Well, some ran, anyway. The only ones who didn't run were Luffy and Mel, the latter of whom was scared stiff and was clinging to the former's pants leg like it was a lifeline.

"L-Luffy, c'mon!" Mel stammered, pulling at his pants. "Let's get outta here! That big leopard's gonna eat us!"

The leopard licked its chops, large ropes of saliva dangling from its jaws.

Luffy just stared right back at it.

"I bet you taste really good," he said.

**RRRAAAAAAAAAAWWWRR!** The leopard made a powerful roar that created a huge (and rather foul-smelling) wind that caused Luffy's rubber cheeks to flap and almost blew his hat right off his head. Then, it raised its paw, revealing its razor-sharp claws, which were prepared to slice Luffy and Mel where they stood.

Luffy smirked before he put a fist into his palm.

**Crackle!** His knuckles popped..

"Luffy!" Nami called from where she was hiding. "If you're gonna try and fight that thing, at least get Mel outta the way!"

Upon hearing the mention of Mel's name, Luffy remembered that the child was still here with him. Without a second thought, he grabbed Mel, just as the leopard slammed its massive paw down at him, and ran to Usopp.

"Here!" said Luffy as he handed the girl to the sniper. "Hold her for me!"

With that, Luffy ran back to the leopard.

"Luffy, wait!" Mel cried. "Come back!"

"I wouldn't worry about Luffy, Mel," said Usopp.

"B-b-but-" Mel started, but she was soon cut off by Nami.

"Trust us," Nami said. "Luffy may not look it, but he's stronger than he seems. Just watch."

Mel turned to see Luffy facing the leopard, which snarled in his face.

"Okay, kitty," said Luffy. "Where were we?"

The leopard lunged at Luffy with fangs and claws exposed, prepared to devour the teen whole, but then, Luffy stretched both his arms out, twisted them around, and grabbed the leopard by its face.

"Gum-Gum…HAMMER!"

**WOOOSH! SLAM!** Luffy uncoiled his arms, sending the leopard spinning around, and then pile-drove it, headfirst, into the ground, with little to no effort.

Mel went slack-jawed at the sight.

"Hey, Sanji, look!" Luffy called. "I got meat for us, see?"

Sanji approached the leopard, taking a drag of cigarette and blew out a puff of smoke.

"I never tried making a dish with leopard meat, before," he said. "Well…there's a first time for everything."

Usopp set Mel down on the ground, since his arms were getting tired.

Mel felt a twinge of envy and guilt in her chest.

Luffy faced that leopard like it was a regular pussycat, and what did she do? She just froze with fear.

"Wow," said Mel. "Luffy's not just strong. He's brave, too."

"See?" Nami asked. "There's a lot more to Luffy than meets the eye."

"I wish I were more like him," Mel said. "Right now, I'm not really all that strong…and I'm afraid of my own shadow. I don't know why you guys even bothered to help me. I'd just end up being a burden to you all."

"But you are strong and brave, Mel."

Mel looked up at Luffy, who knelt down and put a gentle hand on her navy blue hair.

"I am?" Mel asked. "How?"

"Well, you set out to sea, all by yourself," Luffy started, "just to help your Mom. Not just that, but you escaped a crew of pirates, even though you knew that they'd come after you. If that's not being strong or brave, I don't know what is."

Hearing those words seem to make Mel feel better, for she smiled.

Nami looked up to the sky. Even through the dense trees, she could see that the sky was beginning to turn dark.

"You know, it is starting to get late," said Nami. "Maybe we ought to set up camp for the night. We can keep going tomorrow morning."

XXX

Later that night, after eating their fill of leopard meat stew, the Straw Hats fell asleep around a warm campfire. The only thing that broke the silence were the loud snores coming from the men.

Luffy had one arm draped around Nami, protectively, with Mel lying in his lap. However, the half-pint seemed to be having trouble sleeping. This seemed to be more than enough to wake Luffy and Nami up.

"What's the matter, Mel?" Luffy asked.

"You okay?" Nami added.

"No," Mel replied. "I just can't sleep…I…I miss my Mom."

Luffy felt his heart clench, as did Nami.

"I know I can't keep my Mom from dying," said Mel, "but still…when I think about it…I just…!"

She couldn't finish, for she soon started to burst into tears.

Luffy wrapped his arms around Mel and gently pulled her close to his chest.

"C'mon, Mel," he said. "Don't cry. I know it's pretty hard, right now…but things will get better. You'll see."

"How do you know that?" Mel asked through her tears.

"Because…" Luffy started before he heaved a sigh. "Because…I'm kind of like you. I lost my Mom when I was your age."

Mel gasped silently.

"You did?" she asked.

"Yeah," Luffy answered. "It tore me up, pretty bad. At first…when she died…I thought she abandoned me, but then I realized…I wasn't really alone. My Mom's always with me…in my heart. Not just that, but I had others too. My big brother, Ace, my Grandpa, Makino…Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, Chopper, Robin, Franky, Blizzard, and Brook. They're all my family, now, and I wanna keep them with me, no matter what."

"He's right, Mel," said Nami. "We're all one big family, here, and we protect each other…just like how we'll protect you."

Mel looked at Nami and Luffy with wide eyes. She never thought that someone like these two would care for her that much.

She really found some good people.

"Thanks, you guys," Mel said.

"No problem," Luffy and Nami said, simultaneously.

With a yawn, Mel soon fell fast asleep in Luffy's arms. Luffy and Nami followed suit.

XXX

The next morning, Luffy awoke with a big, loud yawn.

"Hey, Sanji," he said, sleepily. "What's for breakfast?"

No reply.

"Sanji?" Luffy called as he stood up, and upon doing so, he realized that there was no sign of Sanji.

In fact, there was no sign of anyone!

Even Mel wasn't there!

"Guys?" Luffy called. "Guys? Where are you?"

"Looking for someone, Straw Hat?"

Luffy looked back, but the moment he did, **BAP!** He was soon met with a hard strike to the face, which sent him down on the ground on his back.

As he sat up, he saw that it was Jones and Fiona, and behind him were the rest of the Straw Hats and Mel, all bound to a tree, gagged…and completely unconscious.

* * *

><p>This one was a bit rushed, but review, please!<p> 


	9. Just You and Me

**Ch. 8- "Just You and Me"**

* * *

><p>One Piece © Oda<p>

Blizzard, Mel, "Mad Dog" Jones and the Mad Dog Pirates © Me

* * *

><p>Luffy's eyes widened with rage. How dare these bastards knock out his friends? He growled and pounded a fist in his palm.<p>

"Normally I don't pick a fight before breakfast," he began, "but for you two, I'll make an exception!"

Just when the Straw Hat captain was about to charge, Mel began to awake. Jones, being the sneaky rat that he is, grabbed the child by her hair and held the blade of his saber dangerously close to her throat.

"Ah-ah-ah!" he said. "One false move, Straw Hat, and I slit the brat's throat open, as well send the rest of your friends out to pasture."

Luffy froze. He couldn't risk Mel or his crew getting hurt because of him.

"He's pretty serious, just so you know," said a smirking Fiona. "If you haven't seen him slit throats, you should. It gets pretty messy."

Luffy growled, gritting his teeth.

"All you have to do is give yourself up," Jones said. "We already took the map from your navigator, now all we need is to find the 1000 Year Flower, take your head, and collect the 300,000,000 on it!"

"I don't think so."

Jones and Fiona gasped before they turned to the tree the rest of the Straw Hats were tied, Nami in particular.

The orange-haired navigator raised her head, revealing a smirk on her face.

"You really ought to work on your knot work," she said. "Also, that sedative could've been stronger."

**SLIP!** The rope that bound the Straw Hats fell, but the pirates remained standing.

"Seriously," said Zoro as he cracked his neck. "I DRANK stronger sedatives than the stuff you gave us, and I still slept for only 10 minutes!"

"You're gonna have to try a lot better than that," said Sanji.

"You should've used chloroform," said Chopper. "That's much stronger than what you used."

"Uh, guys," Usopp said. "I still feel a bit dizzy. I'm also seeing spots."

_You'll get over it,_ thought Blizzard.

Mel dropped down on her knees, holding her head.

"Are you all right, Miss Mel?" asked Brook.

"I feel a little dizzy," Mel said, "but otherwise fine."

"I had a feeling you would resist," said Jones. "So I brought reinforcements, just in case."

**FWICK!** Jones snapped his fingers.

All around them, the Straw Hats could hear rustling, as well as the sound of laughter. Then, out of the foliage came the rest of the Mad Dog Pirates, at least about 300 of them.

"At least some of these fools stayed loyal," said Fiona. "The rest of them were afraid of getting killed by Captain Jones, so they jumped ship and fled. We had to paddle the ship in order to follow you brats."

"And since you won't go quietly, Straw Hat," Jones began, "we'll have to force you to give up."

"Over my dead body, you will!" Luffy said.

"Very well," said Jones. "MEN! ATTACK!"

The Mad Dog Pirates charged into battle, forcing the rest of the Straw Hats to jump into the fray, as well.

Zoro cut down his enemies with his swords.

Nami threw a Thunder Charge at a few men.

Usopp fired five simultaneous Fire Stars at ten men, each.

Sanji laid kicks left and right.

Chopper, in Horn Point form, shoveled his enemies onto his enlarged antlers and catapulted them into the air.

Robin snapped the necks of at least 30 pirates.

Franky fired a Strong Right at a huge brute with an iron mace, taking him out, easily.

Blizzard delivered an X-Fang to many pirates.

Brook, using his Arrow Notch Slice, quickly and silently cut down his foes.

Luffy, for once, seemed to have a bit of sense. He grabbed Mel and pulled her out of the battle, just to make sure that harm wouldn't come her way.

"C'mon, Mel," Luffy told her. "We're gonna find that flower!"

"But what about the others?" Mel asked.

"They can manage without me," Luffy said in reassurance. "Now, let's go! To the mountain!"

"No, you don't!"

**FWUMP! SLASH!** Jones fell from the air, armed with his saber, and slashed it on the ground where Luffy once stood. The Straw Hat captain jumped away with Mel in his arms at the last second, and turned and fled to the mountain. Jones gave chase after them, and Fiona was prepared to follow, but she was soon stopped by a certain navigator.

"Remember me?" Nami questioned, armed with her Perfect Clima-Tact. "I'm 'Straw Hat's bitch'!"

"Oh, yes," Fiona said, sarcastically. "What's wrong? Come to finish what we started?"

"Hell, yeah, I am!" Nami said. "I may be not strong, but let's get one thing straight! I'm NOT Luffy's bitch!"

"Really, now?" Fiona asked. "Fine, then. If you really wanna settle this, then let me give you a taste of my true power."

With that being said, Fiona's body started to undergo a dramatic change.

She started to grow in size, at least 3 or 4 feet taller than Nami. Plus, her muscular density began to grow. She grew thick orange and white fur on her skin, as well as black stripes. Her face became more cat-like, complete with a mouthful of huge fangs and pink nose and whiskers. A long, orange, black-striped, prehensile tail came jutting out of the back of her pants. Her fingernails grew long and claw-like.

**RAAAAAAAAWWWWWRR!** Her transformation complete, Fiona let out a huge, thunderous roar.

She had morphed into a tigress.

"So I was right," Nami said. "You did eat a Devil Fruit."

"That's right, little lady," said Fiona. "I ate the Cat-Cat Fruit: Bengal Tiger Model!"

Nami gulped, her confidence now beginning to leave her, but nonetheless, this tiger-woman insulted, and she wasn't going to take it lying down. She was going to fight for her pride, as well as protect Luffy and Mel.

She just hoped that she wouldn't get killed doing it.

"Nami!" Sanji called as he kicked another pirate. "Do you need help?"

"No, thanks!" Nami said.

_I'm such a liar!_ she thought. _I'm scared outta my mind!_

Fiona snickered as she armed herself with her halberd.

Nami, although a bit shakily, gripped her Clima-Tact and pointed it and Fiona.

"Okay!" said Nami. "Let's go! Just you and me!"

"Gladly," said Fiona.

**CLANG!** The two weapons clashed, and the catfight had begun.

XXX

Meanwhile, Luffy was busy running away with Mel cradled in his arms.

**KABAM-BAM-BAM!** Gunfire was heard as Jones fired several rounds at Luffy from his pistol. He knew that bullets had no effect on rubber, but truth be told, he was really aiming for the precious cargo that the boy was holding.

Luffy gritted his teeth as he kept running. His heart was racing, and he could feel poor frightened Mel tightening her grip on his vest. He knew he couldn't fight back if he was carrying the child like this.

What could he do?

"Luffy!" Mel called. "Look! The mountain! We made it, and there's an opening up ahead!"

Luffy looked ahead and saw that Mel was right. The mountain was only feet away, and there appeared to be an entrance into it! All he had to do was get inside and keep Jones from following, and the 1000-Year Flower would be as good as Mel's!

As they reached the mountain's base and the cave entrance, Luffy set Mel down on the ground.

"Go on!" he said. "Go! I'll catch up with you!"

Mel nodded before she ran inside the dark tunnel. Luffy entered as well, but not before he grabbed a nearby boulder and began to push it towards Jones.

**RRRRMMMMMMBB!** The boulder rolled down the path, right towards Jones who gasped before he dove into some nearby bushes.

XXX

Luffy caught up with Mel inside the cave, and was now walking down the tunnel alongside her, holding her tiny hand in his own.

Mel did feel scared, being in the dark and everything, not knowing what could jump out at her, but with Luffy holding her hand like this, she felt safer, and a bit braver.

She felt that, with Luffy, she had become a better person.

"Hey, Luffy," said Mel.

"Hmm?"

"Thanks…for all you've done."

Luffy smiled.

"Don't go thanking me, just yet, Mel. The adventure's not over."

"But still, thanks, anyway."

As the two walked further and further down the tunnel, they saw a light up ahead. At that moment, Mel got a sudden rush of adrenaline and began to pick up the pace, going from a brisk walk to a fast sprint, pulling Luffy along with her.

"That must be it, up ahead!" declared Mel. "The 1000-Year Flower grows where's there's lots of light! Let's go, Luffy!"

Luffy laughed as Mel continued to drag him, his free hand holding his hat to his head as he ran.

Before they knew it, they reached the end, only now…they were suspended in mid-air, the reason being was because they had both stepped off a ledge. The moment they realized it, they plummeted, screaming. That is, until they fell on the cap of a huge mushroom, thus landing safely.

Luffy and Mel both laughed as they sat up.

"That was fun!" said Mel.

"Let's do it, again!" Luffy added.

Mel looked up and gasped silently before she slid off the mushroom cap and into a pool of water that reached up to her knees, making a small splash as she did. Luffy soon followed, the water only reaching up to his ankles.

The pirate and half-pint walked forward, approaching a small patch of land in the middle of the pool, and the very center of it all, was a tiny little flower, only about the size of Mel's thumb, with five white petals and a curvy stem with three leaves protruding from the sides.

Mel reached into her pocket and pulled out the folded up picture. Giving a double take, she saw that the flower matched the picture, exactly.

"This is it," Mel said. "This is the 1000-Year Flower, and it's in full bloom!"

"Wow," said Luffy. "It's so pretty…and so tiny, too."

"I can't believe I'm looking at it, right now," Mel said.

"You got something to dig it up with, right?" Luffy asked.

"Yeah," Mel said as she pulled out a little spoon. "I got this!"

Luffy reached into his own pocket and pulled out a cup.

"We can use this as a pot," he said.

"All right, then," said Mel. "Let's do it!"

Just when Mel was getting ready to dig, she suddenly froze. She attempted to try again, but for some reason, she couldn't bring herself to do so.

"What's the matter, Mel?" Luffy asked her. "Go ahead and dig the flower up and put it in this cup!"

"I…I can't," she said.

"What do you mean?" asked Luffy. "What's wrong?"

"It's just…" Mel started, "well…just look at it, Luffy. It's so tiny! It looks so fragile and helpless! I feel sorry for it just looking at it!"

Luffy looked over at the flower and suddenly felt a sense of guilt sink into his stomach, like he had swallowed a rock (which he had done, once).

"Gee," Luffy said. "Now that you mention it…you're right, Mel. I feel bad, too."

"You're kidding me. You're freaking kidding me, right?"

Luffy and Mel looked back to see Jones, a look of fury and disbelief on his face.

**WHAP! THWAK!** The man threw both Luffy and Mel away from the 1000-Year Flower, causing them both to hit the cave wall with a **THUD!**

"This is what I've been searching for, all this time?" Jones questioned. "A puny little sprout? What a damn joke!"

Luffy and Mel gasped as Jones raised his foot, right above the 1000-Year Flower.

"Wait!" Mel cried. "No, please! Don't do it!"

**STOMP!** Jones stomped on the tiny, defenseless plant before anyone could even lift a finger, and grinded the sole of his boot on the ground until he raised his foot up, revealing the pulverized remains of the 1000-Year Flower.

Jones had destroyed it, right before Mel's sea foam green eyes.

"No…" Mel said as tears began to flood in her eyes, and the moment they did, she soon broke down into sobs.

The stonehearted Jones just seethed in anger, obviously not caring for the brokenhearted girl's tears.

Luffy, on the other hand, cared very much…and now…he…was…pissed.

"You bastard…" Luffy hissed as he stood up, his eyes concealed beneath the rim of his hat. "Are you proud of what you just did?"

Jones looked over to Luffy with a grunt.

"Why should you give a damn, Straw Hat?"

"Because Mel went through a lot of trouble to find that flower," Luffy said. "And now…because of what you just did…I'm gonna kick your ass!"

Jones turned to Luffy fully with a grin.

"Oh?" he questioned. "'Kick my ass', you say?"

"Hell, yeah, I am!" Luffy barked.

Jones snickered.

"Fine, then," he said. "However, before, I was fighting at my full strength. Since you'll only end up dying, anyway, I might as well give you the pleasure of letting you see what I can do."

Suddenly, Jones' body started to change before Luffy and Mel's eyes.

First, he started to grow in size, about 5 feet taller than Luffy. His muscles became larger. His skin began to grow black and dark brown fur. His eyes turned into a demonic red. His ears became more pointed, almost canine-like, just like the rest of his face, which grew a long, pointed muzzle and a mouth full of sharp fangs that bite a tree limb in half. His fingernails grew into equally sharp claws.

Jones had transformed into a Doberman Pinscher.

"So that's his Devil Fruit?" Mel questioned as her eyes widened in fright.

"Yes," said Jones. "I ate the Mutt-Mutt Fruit: Doberman Model! Prepared yourself, Straw Hat. Once I'm done tearing you to shreds," he turned to Mel with a malicious, toothy grin, "I'll make the girl my new chew toy."

Luffy split his legs apart with one hand on his knee and the other hand on the ground. He began to pump his blood in his legs, causing his skin to turn pink and steaming.

"Gear…SECOND!" he exclaimed before he looked to Jones. "You leave Mel outta this. Right now…it's just you and me!"

"Very well, Straw Hat," Jones said. "Let's see what you've got."

"BRING IT ON~!" Luffy roared.

With that being said, Luffy and Jones lunged at each other.

The decisive battle had begun.

* * *

><p>First, Nami's battle is gonna be next, and then Luffy and Jones' fight.<p>

Also, sorry if it's not very good. The chapter was a little rushed.

Review, please!


	10. Catfight

**Ch. 9- Catfight**

* * *

><p>One Piece © Oda<p>

Blizzard, Mel, Jones, and the Mad Dog Pirates © Me

* * *

><p>The Mad Pirates once again ran in fear of the Straw Hats' strength.<p>

"Yo-ho-ho-ho!" Brook chortled. "We certainly showed them, didn't we?"

"Yeah!" Usopp agreed. "And don't ever let the Great Captain Usopp catch you again, you chickens of the sea!"

_Look who's talking,_ Blizzard thought.

"Uh, guys?" Zoro said, out-of-the-blue. "Aren't we forgetting something?"

"Thunderbolt TEMPO!"

**KRAKOOOM!** A bolt of thunder came down on Fiona, who jumped away at the last second.

The tiger-woman came down at Nami with the blade of her halberd pointing down at her. If the navigator had not jumped away in time, she certainly would've been impaled on the spot.

"Mirage TEMPO!" Nami shouted.

**SLASH!** Fiona attempted to slice Nami with her claws, only for her hand to faze right through her.

"The hell…?" Fiona growled. "Where'd she go?"

"Over here!"

Fiona turned around, but then gasped. Behind her, there was not one Nami, but at least 10 of them, surrounding her.

"So which one is the real me?" asked the group of Nami's. "Can you guess?"

Fiona looked at the Nami clones, just when they were swinging the Thunder Pole of their Clima-Tacts, preparing a Swing Arm attack. Then, she made a smug grin.

"How naïve can you be?" she questioned.

Suddenly, Fiona lunged at the Nami at her right, pinning her against a tree by her throat, causing all of the other Nami's to disappear and dropping the Perfect Clima-Tact, as well.

Nami stared at Fiona in disbelief, coughing up a bit of blood. Normally it took someone at least 45 seconds to find the real her, but Fiona figured it out, so quickly!

"Nami!" Sanji cried.

"Oh, no!" Chopper shouted.

"I must admit, Cat Burglar," said Fiona. "Trying to confuse me was a very impressive strategy…but it appears you forget that since I'm a Zoan, I can track you by scent, easily."

_Damn it!_ Nami cursed in thought. _How could I have been so stupid?_

"Shouldn't we do something?" Usopp asked, worryingly. "She's gonna kill her!"

"This is Nami's fight!" Zoro said. "She started it, so she has to finish it!"

_Thanks, a lot, Zoro!_ Nami thought, sarcastically. _I feel SO much better!_

Fiona snickered as she opened her mouth, preparing sink her fangs right into Nami's skull, but then, Nami, thinking fast, quickly picked her leg up and **BAM!** Jabbed the heel of her shoe right into Fiona's stomach.

Fiona gagged, and even coughed a little.

Nami rolled on the ground, grabbing the Perfect Clima-Tact, before she stood back up, and just in time.

**KLASH!** Nami held up the Perfect Clima-Tact, blocking a strike from Fiona's halberd. The two women were now locked in a stalemate, occasionally attempting land blow on each other, only to block each other's strikes.

"All right, sis!" Franky cheered. "Way to go!"

Fiona growled as she tried to overpower Nami, who struggled under her strength.

"So, was your mouth making promises your arms can't keep?" asked Fiona.

Nami growled as she jumped away.

"Cyclone TEMPO!"

**WOOSH!** She threw the Heat Pole and Cool Pole at Fiona, who jumped out of the way.

Nami ran to grab the two thrown pieces of the Perfect Clima-Tact at its catch point, but Fiona shifted into her full animal form and gave chase after her.

"Nami, look out!" cried Chopper in warning.

Just when Nami had caught the Cyclone Tempo…

**THWAK!** Fiona jabbed the front end of her halberd into Nami's left side, right into her ribs, making a sickening crack.

Nami cried out in pain as she fell to the ground, and a cackling Fiona stepping right on the spot where she hit her didn't help.

"Sanji, do something!" Usopp cried.

"I can't!" Sanji argued. "It…it goes against my nature to harm a woman, no matter what!"

"Will you forget the chivalry crap and help Nami, already?" Zoro shouted.

Nami grunted in pain as Fiona, in her hybrid form, pressed the sole of her paw into her cracked ribs. She even punctured the injured flesh with her claws and began to grind her paw even further, sending Nami into even further agony.

The rest of the Straw Hats watched in horror as the tiger-woman raised her halberd, the blade pointed right at their navigator's skull.

"Say goodnight," Fiona said, "Straw Hat's bitch."

Nami's eyes widened upon hearing the last word of Fiona's sentence before she started to growl. Then, she grabbed a handful of dirt and threw it, right into Fiona's eyes, making her scream in pain and dropping her weapon.

"MY EYES~!" Fiona roared.

Just then, Nami stood up and **WHACK! THWACK! BAM!** She began to deliver multiple blows to Fiona, as if her strength had sparked anew.

"How many times," Nami began, "do I have to say it? I…am…NOT…LUFFY'S…BITCH~!"

The rest of the Straw Hats wisely backed away.

They knew, for a fact, that out of all the things they shouldn't do…light Nami's fuse was one of them, and Fiona had just made a very big mistake.

Nami had just taken "catfight" to a whole new level.

Fiona, meanwhile, clearly taken back by Nami's sudden burst of adrenaline.

**WHAM!** Nami laid another hard blow to Fiona's face, causing a few of her fangs to shatter.

Fiona stumbled, right into another tree. She shook her head to relieve herself of disorientation, but when she looked up, she saw that Nami was swinging the Thunder Pole of the Perfect Clima-Tact.

"Thunder Charge," Nami hissed. "SWING ARM!"

**KRRRRRZZZZT! ZAP!** Nami threw the Thunder Pole right into Fiona, shocking the very life out of her.

Fiona opened her mouth, letting out a huge puff of smoke, as well as a large amount of blood.

**FWUMP!** Fiona fell forward on the ground, changing back to her human form.

Winner: Nami.

"Remind me never to get on Nami's bad side, again," said Usopp.

"Nami's so scary…!" Chopper whimpered as he hid behind Blizzard.

"Yikes," Franky said, beads of sweat falling from his brow. "Talk about a catfight."

At that moment, Nami began to stagger, before she began to fall back.

"Nami!" Sanji cried before he ran behind her and caught her.

"You okay?" Chopper asked before he slipped off his knapsack, preparing to dress Nami's wounds.

"Aside from broken ribs," Nami began, "doing great."

Chopper pulled out a roll of bandages.

"Lift up your shirt, Nami," he said.

Nami did as she was told and raised her shirt, although only slight so as not to fully reveal her chest.

Sanji couldn't help but feel a tiny bit of blood trickle down his nose.

"I just hope Luffy's doing better than I am," Nami as Chopper began to wrap the bandages around the wounded area.

"I wouldn't worry about him, Nami," said Zoro. "Besides, if any of us went to help him, he'd get pissed, now wouldn't he?"

"Damn straight," agreed Franky.

"It's not really Luffy I'm worried about," said Nami. "It's Mel…I just hope he's protecting her from that creep."

XXX

Meanwhile, inside the mountain…

"JET PISTOL!"

**BAM!** Luffy laid a fast, hard punch to Jones' face, sending him backwards a few feet, but he managed to stand his ground. The dog-man then countered by lunging at Luffy and **SLASH!** He swiped at Luffy with his claws, leaving gashes behind.

Luffy clutched at the wound, but quickly jumped away as Jones tried to cut him with his cutlass.

"What's wrong, Straw Hat?" Jones questioned. "Were you mouthing off just for show?"

"I always keep my word," Luffy said. "Gum-Gum…JET BAZOOKA!"

**POW!** Luffy landed a double-handed blow to Jones' stomach.

Mel, meanwhile, was hiding underneath the caps of the giant mushrooms, watching the battle before her.

It only started about 5 minutes ago, but she could tell that using Gear Second was putting a strain on Luffy, already. However, she was going to have faith in the rubber-man, no matter what happens.

"You can do it, Luffy!" Mel cheered. "Show that big bully who's boss!"

Luffy let out a roar as he charged at Jones, once again, this time, locking hands with the Doberman-man.

* * *

><p>Sorry if it's pretty short and not very epic, you guys.<p>

Anyway, review, please!


	11. Luffy vs Jones

**Ch. 10- Luffy vs. Jones**

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><p>One Piece © Oda<p>

Blizzard, Mel, Jones, and the Mad Dog Pirates © Me

* * *

><p>Luffy and Jones were in a stalemate, hands locked in one another's, both with a hateful glare in their eyes. Then, they jumped away from each other. Jones growled before he charged at Luffy, shifting into his full animal form, who began to twist his right arm around.<p>

"Gum-Gum…JET RIFLE!"

Luffy launched his spinning fist forward, but Jones, being faster on all fours, somehow managed to evade it.

"Gum-Gum…JET WHIP!"

**WHAP!** Luffy threw his outstretched leg at blinding speed, and managed to lay another hit on Jones, throwing him into the cave wall beside him. **CRASH!**

"Yeah!" Mel cheered from her hiding place. "Way to go, Luffy!"

Jones pulled himself out of the wall and lunged at Luffy, who jumped up into the air.

"Gum-Gum…JET STAMP!"

**BAM!** Luffy stamped his foot down at Jones, only to miss when the dog-man jumped away and made a vertical run up the wall. He sprang off the side, shifted into his hybrid from, and **SLASH!** He cut Luffy, this time with his cutlass, right in his right arm.

Luffy grunted in pain as he clutched the gash, but he managed to keep it together, and prepared another attack.

"Gum-Gum…JET SPEAR!"

**POW!** Luffy shot both legs out at Jones, hitting him dead center in the stomach, causing him to cough up blood.

However, Luffy wasn't done there.

"Gum-Gum JET BELL!"

**BONG! KRACK!** Luffy's forehead made contact with Jones in full force, making a loud cracking sound. A small stream of blood formed on the latter's skull.

Luffy made a cocky grin, thinking that victory had just been handed to him.

However, an evil smirk suddenly appeared on Jones' maw.

"Finished, already?" Jones questioned.

**BAM!** Jones kicked Luffy right down to the pool of water, causing him to land with a splash. The moment he landed, Luffy's Gear Second mode wore off.

"Oh, no!" Mel cried.

Jones snickered.

"Not so tough, now, are you Straw Hat?" he questioned.

Luffy grunted as Jones landed right on top of him, pinning him under the water, head included.

"You're a joke," said Jones. "I don't know why the World Government even deemed you, some two-bit boy, dangerous. Fighting you is a waste of time!" He then turned to Mel, who, instantly sensing danger, hid behind the giant mushrooms. "You can't hide from me, brat," he said as he attempted to approach the five-year-old's hiding place.

**GRAB!** Suddenly, Luffy grabbed Jones by his leg.

"Don't you dare!" growled Luffy. "This is just you and me! Leave Mel outta this!"

Jones heaved a sigh of mock exasperation.

"Honestly," he said. "I don't get you, at all. Why are you standing up for such a pathetic little brat, like her?"

"You wanna know why?" Luffy asked. "'Cause Mel's my friend, that's why, and I'll protect my friends, no matter what! A piece of scum like you will never understand!"

"Have it your way, Straw Hat," said Jones.

Just then, **CHOMP!** Jones whipped around and bit down right on Luffy's left ankle, his sharp fangs sinking into his rubber flesh, causing Luffy to cry out in pain. Then, shifting into hybrid form, he charged at another cave wall and **BASH!** Rammed Luffy's head right into it.

As a rubber-man, this didn't really effect Luffy very much, but Jones wasn't giving up.

**BASH! BASH! BASH!** He continued to pummel Luffy into the wall.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha!" Jones laughed. "Die, Straw Hat!"

Mel only watched in horror. She wanted to scream out Luffy's name, but she was so scared, that her very breath was trapped within her lungs.

However, just because Luffy was getting beaten right now didn't mean that he wasn't going to try and retaliate. The moment Jones pulled him away from the wall…

**CHOMP!** Luffy bit down hard on Jones' skull. So hard, in fact, that blood started to seep out, as if Luffy actually had fangs of his own!

"Whoa!" Mel gasped.

The resulting attack only angered Jones, thus causing him to throw Luffy against the wall even harder. At this point, a stream of blood began form from Luffy's head, as well.

Luffy's plan was this: when he was in Gear Second mode, he intended to hit Jones in the head from the beginning, thus creating a weak spot. It just needed a few more blows, and Jones would be defeated. Even now, the dog-man was feeling pain coursing his through his body as he continued to beat Luffy, over and over.

**CHOMP!** Luffy bit down on Jones' head, again, furthering infuriating him.

**BASH-BASH-BASH-BASH!** Jones threw Luffy against the wall, multiple times, faster than before.

"YOU DAMN PRICK!" he cursed. "STOP BITING ME WITH YOUR DAMN BABY TEETH!"

**CRASH!** Jones threw Luffy at another wall, and this time, he let him go, causing him to hit, full force. However, the moment Luffy was down, Jones started to stagger.

Luffy's strategy was working. Just one more blow to the head, and he was finished!

"Luffy!" Mel called. "You've got Jones by the ropes! Don't give up, yet! You can still win this!"

There was a pause. It was then that realization dawned on Mel.

Luffy wasn't getting up.

"L-Luffy?" Mel asked. "What's wrong? Get up!"

Jones snickered as he shifted back into his hybrid form and approached Luffy.

"I knew that this was too easy," he said.

"Oh, no!" Mel whispered. "Luffy! Get up! He's coming!"

Luffy panted. He tried to get up, but he had lost too much blood from Jones' claws and cutlass.

"Crap," he cursed.

**GRAB!** Jones picked Luffy up by his throat and roughly pinned him to the cave wall behind him, making him gag.

"Now," Jones began, "how to finish you off, is the question. Should I slowly strangle you? Maul you death like the mad dog that I am? Or…" he slowly unsheathed his cutlass, "…should I make it quick…and just slit your throat wide open?"

Luffy gave Jones a defiant look, growling.

"Well, either way," said Jones, "I'm going to enjoy killing you."

Mel gasped in horror. How could she just sit here and do nothing? Luffy was going to be killed if she didn't act fast!

Throwing caution to the wind, Mel went running out at Jones with a fierce yell. Then, she jumped onto his back, grabbed the sides of his mouth, and started to pull at them.

"You leave Luffy ALONE!" she shouted.

Luffy, still trapped in Jones' grasp, was just left dumbstruck. What was Mel doing?

Whatever it was, it distracted Jones' long enough for Luffy to get free. The rubber-man fell to the water, on his knees, coughing up blood and trying to regain whatever air he could.

"You…little…PIPSQUEAK~!" Jones roared before he grabbed by the back of her shirt. "GET LOST!"

**WHOOSH!** Jones forcefully threw Mel to the wall!

**BAM! KRRRACCK!** Mel collided with the stone wall, and the moment she did, a sickening crack filled the air.

Luffy felt his stomach clench when he heard that crack.

Mel fell to the water, but the moment she did, she soon started to wail in agony, complete with a waterfall of tears, holding her right arm. A closer look revealed why: it hung limp beside her.

It was broken.

"MY ARM~!" Mel sobbed. "MY ARM~! IT HURTS~!"

Luffy's mouth went agape with shock, but that shock soon turned to complete rage…and he knew just who to take it out on. His gaze then turned on Jones, who just stood there with a malevolent grin.

"You…" Luffy hissed. "You…you…! YOU BASTARD!"

Jones turned to Luffy with one eyebrow raised, but before he could react…

**POW!** Luffy laid a high-rise uppercut, right to Jones' chin, sending him flying right up to the cave ceiling.

"You went too far!" Luffy shouted. "No one, and I mean NO ONE, hurts my friends and gets away with it ALIVE!"

Then, Luffy put his left thumb into his mouth.

"Gear…THIRD!"

**FWOOOP!** Luffy bit a hole into his thumb and blew air into his bones, thus causing to grow massive in size.

"Bone BALLOON!"

Jones looked down at Luffy, eyes wide with horror. Mel was just as surprised as Jones, seemingly having forgotten about her injured arm.

"Gum…Gum…GIANT PISTOL!"

**BAM!** Luffy's gigantic fist collided with Jones, sending him even further into the air until **CRRRAAAASH!** He sent Jones flying…right through the mountain's summit.

Winner: Luffy.

Mel just stared with eyes wide and mouth agape. She had been told that Luffy was strong, but now, witnessing his strength, firsthand…it was truly incredible!

No wonder the World Government deemed him as dangerous.

"Wow…!" Mel whispered before she looked down. "Luffy, you wear amaz- Huh?"

Mel trailed off when she saw a panting Luffy in his now shrunken form.

"W-what happened to you?" asked Mel.

"I'll explain later," Luffy said as he sat up. "Right now…I think we better get outta here."

"Why?" Mel asked.

"Well, to have Chopper treat your arm and my wounds, for one thing," answered Luffy. "For another thing-"

**RRRRMMMMMMBB!** Suddenly, the whole mountain started to shake, and rocks started to fall down from the whole in the cave roof that Luffy had made.

"We gotta get outta here!" Luffy exclaimed.

At that moment, he grew back to normal size.

"Whoa! I'm back!" he said. Without a moment to spare, he ran, grabbed Mel, jumped to the ledge, and ran back through the tunnel from whence they came, just as everything started to fall apart behind them.

"Faster, Luffy! Faster!" Mel said.

XXX

Outside, the rest of the Straw Hats, following their intuition, knew that Jones had been defeated and headed to the mountain to investigate.

When they arrived at the base, the entire mountain had completely crumbled in a matter of seconds.

"Oh, no!" Chopper cried.

"Oh, please," Nami whispered. "Please, please, no!"

Blizzard whimpered.

_C'mon, Luffy!_ he thought.

There was a pause.

Then, to everybody's relief, Luffy came limping out of the tunnel's opening with Mel cradled in his arms.

"Luffy! Mel!" Nami cried as she ran up to embrace the two. "Thank god!"

"We're glad to see you, too, Nami!" Luffy said.

"Uh, Nami," Mel said. "Can you stop for a minute? That kind of hurts!"

"What hurts?" Nami asked.

"My arm," Mel said. "Jones broke it."

"Oh, my!" Brook said.

"We better head back to the ship to treat you guys, then," said Chopper. "The fight's over, isn't it?"

"Yep!" Luffy answered. "The fight's over! That Jones was tough, but in the end, he was nothing but a big pushover!"

"So I take our little side-adventure is over?" Zoro asked.

"Nope!" Luffy answered with a grin. "It's not over, just yet!"

"What do you mean?" asked Franky.

"What I mean is," Luffy started, "our adventure doesn't end…until we bring Mel back home."

At the mention of home, Mel immediately felt her homesickness coming back.

"Where do you live, Mel?" asked Nami.

"On Sea Foam Island," Mel answered.

"That's not too far from Dario," Robin said.

"We should be there in about 3 days, if we set sail, now!"

"Then let's go!" Luffy yelled, raising a fist in the air. "Set course for Sea Foam Island!"

**GUUUURGLE!** Luffy's stomach growled, fiercely.

"But let's eat, first," he said, earning an annoyed sigh from the rest of the crew.

XXX

Later that day, as the sun was beginning to set, Mel was out on the deck, looking over the portside railing of the _Sunny_, her arm in a cast and a sling, courtesy of Chopper, with a forlorn expression on her face.

"Hey, Mel."

Mel looked back to see Luffy approaching her. His vest was now opened, revealing his bandaged stomach and chest. His forehead, arm, and ankle were also in wraps.

"Hi, Luffy," Mel greeted, albeit mirthlessly.

"Sanji's almost got dinner ready," said Luffy. "He saved some of the leopard meat that we got and is making a stew with it! Pretty good, right?"

"Yeah," Mel answered.

At that moment, Luffy noticed Mel's melancholy behavior. He soon joined her, standing beside the railing.

"What's wrong, Mel?" Luffy asked. "You look a little down."

"It's nothing, Luffy," said Mel.

Luffy didn't seem at all convinced. He gave Mel a stern look that said to her "Tell the truth".

Mel heaved a sigh.

"Okay, it is something," she said. "It's just…there's a pretty good chance that my Mom's already dead…and if she is…" she started to quiver. "If she is…then…she didn't get to see the flower she always wanted to see…I…" she looked up at Luffy, revealing tears cascading from her eyes. "I didn't get…the 1000-Year Flower, Luffy! She always wanted to see a certain flower bloom, and now she can't! What am I gonna do, Luffy?"

Luffy just looked down at Mel, silently, as her sobs filled the air. Then, out of nowhere, he gently set his hand upon her hair.

"I don't think that's true, Mel," he said.

Mel stopped crying and looked up at the Straw Hat captain, some tears still flowing down her face. Once her gaze met Luffy's, she saw an ear-to-ear grin.

"What do you mean?" Mel asked Luffy.

"What I mean, Mel," Luffy began, lowering himself to Mel's height level, "is that the flower your mom was talking about…was in here."

He put his finger against Mel's chest, right where heart is.

"My heart?" Mel asked.

"You bet," Luffy replied. "Mel, when we met you, you were really timid and shy, especially after all the stuff you went through, but after you took this little adventure of yours, you've gotten braver, and you've made some new friends, too!"

Mel looked down at her heart and though, long and hard. Then, she made a smile of her own.

"You're right, Luffy!" she proclaimed. "I am braver, and I've made lots of friends! You guys! Up until now, I didn't think that someone like me could even have an adventure! I guess…I guess it took a pirate to show me that."

Luffy made a broad, toothy grin and chuckled.

Mel did the same.

Then, unexpectedly, Mel threw her good arm around Luffy's neck, pulling him into a hug.

"Thank you, Luffy," she said.

Luffy, who had been caught off guard by the embrace, sat there for a moment, but then, with a smile, he returned the hug.

"No problem," he said.

Up on the stern, Nami and Robin happened to be watching the whole scene from where they stood, and could only smile.

Mel was definitely a different person…all thanks to their captain.

* * *

><p>Review, please!<p> 


	12. Mel's Farewell

**Ch. 11- Mel's Farewell**

* * *

><p>One Piece © Oda<p>

Blizzard, Mel, Jones, and the Mad Dog Pirates © Me

* * *

><p>Sea Foam Island. Known for its beautiful flower gardens and the dolphins that swam around the island's shoreline, it is a lovely tourist spot.<p>

It is also Mel's home.

Three days after leaving Jucia, the Straw Hats had docked at the Southern coast of the island. It is here that they had decided to drop Mel off. However…it also meant that they would have to say goodbye to their new friend.

"Are you sure you guys don't wanna come with me?" Mel asked the Straw Hats. "You could meet my Mom…you know…if she's still alive."

"Mel," Nami began, "that's very sweet, and we'd really love to, but we're pirates. If the townspeople saw us with you, they'd probably get the wrong idea and chase us away before we can explain ourselves."

"I understand," Mel said. "Well, thanks for bringing me home, anyway, everybody."

"We were glad to," Luffy said.

"Maybe you could visit, someday," Mel asked.

"Yeah, we could," Chopper said. "After we have our adventure on the Grand Line, we could come back and see you, again!"

"But that could take a long time," Sanji said.

"Years, even," Usopp added.

"Are you willing to wait for us until then, Mel?" Robin asked.

"Yeah!" Mel replied. "I'll wait for as long as it takes! Or maybe, when I'm all grown up, I'll come out to sea and come and find you, and I'll have many adventures of my own!"

Luffy grinned, broadly at that statement and chuckled.

Mel smiled as well, but as soon as it came, it fell.

"Well," she said. "I guess this is it."

"Looks like it," Luffy said.

A pause came. The only thing that broke the silence was the sound of Franky's soft sobbing.

"Goodbye, everybody," Mel said.

"See you around, Mel," Usopp said back as he swallowed the lump in his throat.

"You won't forget us, will you?" asked Chopper.

Blizzard whimpered.

"Of course not," Mel said. "I'll never forget any of you."

Luffy knelt down and gently put his hand on the pipsqueak's head.

"And we won't forget you, either," he said.

Mel smiled again, before she threw her arms around Luffy's neck. Luffy froze for a moment, but then returned the child's hug, standing up as he did. Nami soon joined the hug, followed by Usopp, then Sanji, then Chopper, Robin, Franky, Blizzard, and finally Brook. Zoro was the only one who excluded himself from the group hug.

"C'mon, Zoro," Luffy said. "You, too!"

"I don't do group hugs," he objected.

"You get over here and hug or I'm raising your debt!" Nami spat.

"Alright, fine!" Zoro grumbled before he also joined in the hug. "Happy?"

"Very," Nami answered.

After a moment, Luffy set Mel down on the ground.

"I'm really gonna miss you guys," said Mel. "I'll miss you the most, Luffy."

"Me, too," said Luffy.

With that, Mel turned to leave, walking up the hill that led to her hometown. Before she disappeared from sight, she turned to face the Straw Hat Pirates, one last time, before she raised her hand and waved goodbye.

The Straw Hats did the same.

As Mel went over the hill, Luffy couldn't help but feel a sickening feeling in his stomach. An empty feeling.

He suddenly started sniffling, and he wiped away a stray tear falling from his eye.

Nami noticed this and sighed.

"Oh, Luffy," she said before she went to give him a hug and a small peck on the lips. "It's gonna be okay."

"I know," Luffy said, but then he pulled away with a grin. "But I can't dwell on it, can I?"

"Of course not," Nami replied.

Luffy pulled away from Nami, wiping whatever tears he had left.

"All right, you guys!" he exclaimed. "Time for us to shove off!"

"Aye-aye, captain!" shouted the rest of the Straw Hats.

And so, the Straw Hat Pirates boarded the _Thousand Sunny_. As they did, Luffy gave one last look to the direction that Mel had left, and then smiled his usual smile.

"We'll see each other, again, Mel," he said to himself, "once I'm King of the Pirates."

XXX

Meanwhile, Mel had just arrived at the entrance of her home village, and not long after, she was soon greeted and surrounded by the joyous townsfolk who had been wondering where she had gone.

"We were so worried about you, child!" proclaimed a baker.

"Are you all right, dear?" asked a woman in her 30s.

"Where've you been, Mel?" asked a teenage boy.

At that moment, the town doctor, a man in his late 50s, wearing a white coat, a pair of tiny bifocals, and graying brown hair, managed to push his way through the crowd.

"Melody!" said the doctor as he took the girl's hands in his. "Thank heavens you made it home, safely! When your mother that you had gone missing, I didn't know what to expect!"

At the mention of her mother, Mel suddenly took on a worried expression.

"How is my Mom, doctor?" she asked.

The doctor simply smiled and said, "Well, Melody, my dear…perhaps you should come down to my clinic and see for yourself."

XXX

Moments later, Mel had been brought to the doctor's clinic, where her mother was supposedly being treated.

When she arrived, she wouldn't believe the sight that had met her.

A woman in her mid-30s with long, beautiful indigo locks and sea foam green eyes, just like Mel's, was sitting up in bed, smiling.

"Mel," said the woman. "There you are."

"MOOOOOM!" Mel wailed with beads of tears flying from her eyes as she jumped at her mother for the first time in days. She sobbed as she hid her face in her bosom. "I can't believe you're still alive…!"

"Your mother's going to be just fine, Mel," said the doctor. "It turns out that I managed to treat the disease, just in time."

"Thank you so much, doctor!" said the teary-eyed Mel.

"Oh, Mel," said the child's mother. "I'm so glad you're home, safe-and-sound. You had me worried sick, you know."

"I'm sorry," said Mel. "I'll never do it, again. At least not without telling you, first. I promise!"

Mel's mother sighed as she pulled her precious daughter tighter into her arms, refusing to let go for anything.

"Hey, Mom," said Mel.

"Hmm?"

"You wanna hear a story?"

Mel's mother looked down at the 5-year-old with intrigue.

* * *

><p>It's not over, quiet yet!<p>

The epilogue is coming up!

Review, please!


	13. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

* * *

><p>One Piece © Oda<p>

Blizzard and Mel © Me

* * *

><p>Warning: OOCness ahead.<p>

* * *

><p>Another day on the <em>Thousand Sunny<em>. The breeze and waves were calm, and there was not one trouble for the Straw Hat Pirates, who were now safely housed in their beloved ship.

However, things weren't always what they appeared.

It had been a week since the Straw Hats had left Mel at her home to continue their own voyage. As days came and went, the crew immediately noticed a change in their captain.

For one thing, Luffy wasn't very lively at the party they had on the night Mel left to celebrate his victory against Jones. He didn't even want to sing _Binks's Brew_ with Brook.

He didn't want to go fishing with Chopper and Usopp.

He wouldn't play fetch with Blizzard, either.

Worst of all, every mealtime, when Sanji came to get him to eat…he said he wasn't hungry.

Not even for the smallest morsel of meat!

All he did was just…lie in bed, moping.

This really brought worry among the crew. This is the most depressed he's been since that fight he was with Usopp. So, they attempted to cheer him up.

Food, songs, a game, anything, but nothing seemed to get through to him.

It was obvious that he really missed Mel.

Truth be told, everyone did, but Luffy seemed to be the one who missed her the most. After all, out of all them, he and the half-pint were the closest.

It was only until the 7th day of the week that Sanji felt like he had had enough.

He wasn't going to let his idiot captain skip meals just because he was being a damn Gloomy Gus.

Sanji stomped towards the men's quarters and kicked the door off its hinges, much to Franky's horror.

"Hey!" Franky shouted. "What the hell are you doing, Bro Cook?"

Sanji entered the men's quarters with a scowl, searching the bunk beds until he found Luffy, lying in Usopp's bunk, of all places, under the covers.

"Alright, Luffy, get up!" Sanji growled as he grabbed the blankets and pulled them off of his captain. "It's lunchtime, and I'm NOT letting you starve like this! You haven't eaten in a week, now get up and come eat, already!"

"No thanks, Sanji," said Luffy in a solemn voice.

Sanji knitted his eyebrow.

"Damn you," he cursed before he grabbed by his vest collar and pulled him so that the boy's face would meet his. "You listen to me, Gloomy Gus! You're eating if I have to shove the down your gullet!"

"Sanji!"

Sanji looked upon seeing Nami, her hands on her hips and an angry frown upon her face.

"Put him down," she growled.

Sanji reluctantly obeyed and set Luffy back down on the bed.

"Let me handle this," said Nami. "This requires a woman's touch."

With that, Nami approached Luffy, sat down next to him, and gently pulled her captain onto her lap.

"Oh, Luffy," she said, comfortingly, as she combed her fingers through his mop of black hair. "You poor baby. You really miss Mel, don't you?"

Luffy heaved a sigh.

"Nothing gets passed you, huh, Nami?" asked Luffy.

"Nope," Nami answered. "Luffy…we miss Mel, too. Believe me, but you can't just lie around and mope about it. You also can't expect to solve your problem by not eating anything. You're really worrying us, you know?"

"I'm sorry," Luffy apologized. "It's…it's just…she was like a little sister to me. I knew I'd miss her…but I didn't think I'd miss her this much. I mean…I practically loved her."

"We all loved her," Nami said. "But if she were here, right now, she'd probably want you to move on with your life."

"My tummy hurts," Luffy said, out-of-the-blue.

Nami simply smiled and said, "That'll go away…in time. I'll leave you alone for a little while longer."

And so, Nami left Luffy to be alone, again. Sanji followed after, taking a drag of his cigarette and letting out a small puff of smoke as he did.

Outside, the rest of the Straw Hats had gathered.

"So?" Usopp asked.

Nami shook her head.

"No luck," he said. "It looks like he's really depressed."

"So there's really no way to cheer him up?" Franky asked.

"How frightfully upsetting," said Brook.

"Nami?" Chopper asked. "Is Luffy ever gonna feel better? I'm worried about him."

Blizzard whined, brushing his head up against Nami's hand. Nami's reply was to gently scratch his ears.

"We're all worried," Nami began, "but…I think the only we can do…is hope that Luffy gets over this."

"But what if he never does?" Sanji questioned.

"If he stays the way he is," Robin started, "then he may either die of a broken heart or of starvation."

"Duck," mumbled Zoro, although not loud for everyone to hear.

"Robin, please," said Nami. "Would you NOT say something morbid, for once?"

"Duck," Zoro said, a bit louder than before.

"What does a duck have to do with our conversation, Moss-head?" Sanji questioned, irritably.

"No, you dumb-ass!" Zoro barked. "'Duck', as in-"

"INCOMING! HEADS UP!" Franky shouted.

At that cry, the Straw Hats ducked down, just as a white blur came racing over them. When they raised their heads, they saw it was mail carrier bird.

"Well, that's odd," said Nami. "We rarely get mail."

"Now wait just a minute, Nami," said Usopp. "What if it's a booby trap?"

"Usopp, will you calm down?" asked Nami. "What harm could come out of some mail?"

The mail carrier bird pulled out an envelope from its bag, handing it to Nami.

"Thank you," she said.

**AWWK!** The mail carrier bird squawked before it flew off into the distance to deliver more mail at sea.

"What is it, Nami?" Chopper asked.

Nami flipped the envelope over, but then, she let out a gasp before a broad smile appeared and her eyes started to shimmer.

"This is it…!" she whispered before she turned to the others. "Guys, this is what we need!"

"What is it?" Zoro asked.

Nami didn't answer. Instead, she just ran back into the men's quarters and went up to Luffy.

"Luffy!" she called. "Luffy, look at this!"

Luffy peered over at his navigator.

"You just got a letter," Nami started, "from Mel!"

Luffy's eyes widened before he turned fully around to face Nami.

"From Mel?" he repeated. "Well, what does it say?"

"Oh, here," Nami said, opening the envelope and pulling out the letter from inside. "Let me read it, for you!"

Nami sat down in front of Luffy so that she could read Mel's letter.

This is what it said:

_Dear Luffy,_

_Hi! It's me!_

_How are you doing?_

_I'm just fine, here at home, with my Mom._

_Guess what? She's alive! The doctor managed to save her just in time!_

_I told my Mom all about you, Nami, and the others. She was kind of surprised, at first, but then she realized what great friends I made! Especially you._

_I've got lots more new friends here at home. All the kids at my school think I'm cool, now, and they wanna hang out with me! Also, the bullies don't pick on me, anymore! I've got a lot more respect, now!_

_Thank you, so much, Luffy, for showing me what a pirate's life is really like. Someday, when I get older…I'm gonna be a pirate, too._

_Your friend,_

_Mel._

Luffy sat on the bunk bed, hands in his lap, and a mixed emotion of happiness and surprise on his face.

He looked up at Nami, who smiled at him.

"Mel really said all that?" asked Luffy.

"Uh-huh," Nami replied. "All in black-and-white."

"Wow," Luffy said.

"You really inspired her, Luffy," Nami said.

"I did, huh?" Luffy asked, his broad grin beginning to return.

Boy, did Nami miss that grin.

"Hey, Nami," said Luffy. "I just realized something."

"Oh?" asked Nami. "And what would that be?"

A pause came.

**RRRUUUUUUMMBLE!** Luffy's stomach let out a huge roar.

"I realized I'm starving~!" he whined. "Is it still lunchtime?"

"Sure is," Nami said. "If you hurry, you can get to the food while it's still hot!"

Luffy didn't need to be told twice. He jumped up and ran out the doorway.

"Hey, Sanji!" he called out. "Food! I want food! Lots of meat!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, Luffy, I hear ya!" Sanji called back, his irritated tone disguising his inner joy.

_He's baaaaack!_ Nami thought in singsong.

With a giggle, she headed to the galley to eat lunch. As she did, she heard the sounds of Usopp, Chopper, Brook, Sanji, Zoro, and Franky shouting at Luffy to stop mooching off their plates.

"LUFFY, WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?"

"GIMME BACK MY SCALLOPS!"

"DAMN IT, LUFFY, KEEP YOUR CRAPPY RUBBER PAWS OFF MY PLATE!"

"I DON'T CARE IF YOU HAVEN'T EATEN IN DAYS! STOP STEALING FROM PEOPLE'S PLATES!"

Nami walked up to the stairs, preparing to enter the galley, before she looked up to the vast, blue sky. She exhaled and smiled happily.

"Thank you," she said, "Melody."

With that being said, Nami headed to the galley to have her meal.

"Luffy!" she called. "You better remember to save me some food, mister!"

**THE END**

* * *

><p>Well, that's all, folks!<p>

Thanks to those who were patient enough to stick with this story!

Tomorrow, a new chapter of **The Sabaody **Arc will be up!

Until then, review, please!


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